


Sweet Little Lies

by Vorcha_Girl



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Oral Sex, Romance, Sex, Shameless Smut, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-11
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2018-10-17 16:30:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 83,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10597851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vorcha_Girl/pseuds/Vorcha_Girl
Summary: Reyes Vidal and Sirius Ryder are drawn to each other from the moment they meet; all it takes is a single flirty date for their defenses to come crumbling down and for them wind up in bed. It feels right. But Reyes is keeping secrets, dangerous secrets, and some secrets have a way of hurting the people we love in the ways we least expect.





	1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Mass Effect Andromeda.**

_A/N - Okay, so I fell pretty damned hard for Reyes Vidal during my playthrough of ME:A, and I decided that I had to write the story of his romance with my Sirius Ryder. It's doesn't follow canon - though I did use some tweaked game dialogue for this first scene (because I love that Night on the Town mission), and it isn't always pretty, but it's passionate and hopefully it will make for a good story. Thanks to everyone who has supported and encouraged me to write this! (And don't worry - I'm still working on my original trilogy fics too!) Please enjoy and don't forget to drop me a review if you enjoy this! (Cover art by Thanomluk)_

 

 

* * *

The music from Sloane's party pulsed loudly through the air; reverberating along the ground and walls, beating against Sirius Ryder's head in a thousand tiny drumbeats, so incredibly loud that her teeth rattled in her skull. Why anyone would subject themselves to this kind of noise willingly was beyond her, and she grimaced as the babble of loud voices struggling to be heard over the music grew louder, adding a secondary layer of noise to the already unbearable situation.

 _Another drink maybe?_ Sirius glanced down at the Whisky Sour in her hands and decided against it. She'd already had several and her head was spinning slightly, a clear sign that she was hitting the drinks too hard and too fast. Still, she downed the rest of her drink in a single gulp and stared morosely into the glimmering ice left in the glass, irritation worming through her as she realised that Reyes still hadn't returned.

With a sigh, she lifted her gaze and skimmed the crowd for any sign of him; for a glimpse of his smouldering hazel eyes, his tanned skin, or his damned touchable black hair that she had the hardest time keeping her fingers out of. But there was no sign of him. Wherever Reyes had gone off to, it was clear that he wasn't going to be returning any time soon.

 _Some date,_ she told herself. _You sure can pick 'em, Ryder. You probably could have had any man in Andromeda, but you had to go out with some shifty smuggler who vanishes from your side the first chance he gets. Dad would be so proud._

Grumbling under her breath about men, she stepped out of Sloane's throne room and closed the door behind her, heaving a sigh of relief as the door muffled most of the noise and something close to silence fell. She glanced down at her arm and activated her scanner.

"SAM, any sign of Reyes?"

She felt like a desperate date who had been abandoned at prom as a joke, and she shifted uneasily, the thought that Reyes had changed his mind occurring to her; that maybe she had come on too strong during their chat over the COMMs and he had decided to bring her this far as a joke and then take off-

_No._

No, he wouldn't do that. Reyes was a shady bastard, but he wasn't cruel. And the way he watched her from those molten eyes of his when he thought she wasn't watching, the heat and desire she'd seen in his gaze, _that_ was enough to let her know that whatever he did feel about her; it wasn't disinterest. Not even close. In fact, she was pretty sure that her shifty Kadara contact was just as enamoured with her as she was with him.

"There is no mention of him over any of the short range COMM chatter, but I am detecting life signs in the room up ahead that match his." SAM answered helpfully, directing her to a door further down the corridor.

Sirius sighed in irritation as she reached the open door with its _Restricted Access_ signs on it, and saw the object of her affection crouched half out of sight near some crates, rifling around and muttering about serial numbers. _He really was handsome_ , she thought as she slipped into the room with a small shake of her head. _Far too handsome for his own good._

"I should have known you were up to something," she started, smirking as Reyes jumped at her approach. "Inviting me out on a date and then pulling a vanishing act. Tell me, do you treat all your dates this way? Or am I getting special treatment?"

To her surprise, Reyes flushed and vaulted to his feet, his hands spread wide in a placating manner. "Ryder! It's not what it looks like! Honest!"

She barely managed to stifle her laugh, because it clearly _was_ exactly what it looked like. "Reyes, you bring me to a party where you know I'll cause a scene, you tell me to go talk to people and make myself known, and then I find you skulking in a dark room going through Sloane's stuff? What part of this isn't what it looks like?"

"Well," the corner of his mouth pulled upwards into a sexy smirk and he shrugged. "Okay, maybe it _is_ what it looks like, but it's not what you're _thinking_. I'm doing this for both our benefit. Sloane's party was phase one of our night. Finding what I need in here is phase two." He turned back to the crates and climbed up on one to check the serial numbers on a higher shelf. "Trust me, when I find what I'm looking for it will be worth both our whiles. Besides," he glanced at her over his shoulder and his voice dropped to a sexy drawl. "You _did_ tell me you didn't want me to be a gentleman tonight, and I'm a man of my word."

Heat bloomed in her belly at his words, and she flushed as his eyes lingered on her for a moment before he turned back to his rifling, finally letting out a triumphant cry as he found the object of his search and dropped back to the floor.

"Booze?" Sirius enquired drolly as she took in the dust covered bottle in his hands. "You came here to steal _whisky_ from Sloane? Oh, Reyes-"

He grinned and feigned a look of innocence as he cradled the whiskey lovingly. "This isn't _just_ whisky! It's a _645 year old triple distilled Mount Milgrom_ whisky! Manna from the Gods! The drink of kings!"

"Well, your royal highness," she mockingly bowed, "will you be sharing the spoils of this little raid with me?"

"Maybe, I-" the sound of footsteps interrupted their playful flirting and he cursed. "Shit. Someone's coming. We need a distraction."

Sirius thought quickly; _they were in a storage room during a party! No one would think twice about two people being intimate_. Without stopping to question herself, she cupped the back of Reyes' neck and stepped so close to him that the bottle jabbed into her ribs, then she raised her face and pressed her lips to his. Her heart hammered; _what if he shoved her away?_ But Reyes wasn't slow to catch on, and he kissed her back almost immediately. His aftershave, a subtle spicy scent, teased her senses as he moved closer and used her body to hide the whisky from sight.

Reyes' lips were firm and warm under hers, and he wrapped an arm around her waist, hauling her closer as the footsteps reached the doorway and stopped. He deepened the kiss, his tongue swirling around hers as Sirius moaned lightly and clung to him, faintly aware of the surprising strength in the arm he had around her. She had thought about kissing him more often than she cared to admit; had imagined the feeling of his lips on hers when she'd been alone in her bed late at night, of his hands on her body, and of more.

"Oh … _uh_ … sorry." The voice, jarring, interrupted the pleasant fog of the kiss, and Sirius tried to get a hold of herself as the presence at the door retreated; the footsteps growing faint again.

Reyes kissed her one last time, his hand squeezing her waist possessively, and then he slowly pulled back, his burning golden eyes watching the doorway to make sure they were all clear before sliding back to meet her gaze. She could see the flicker of biotic blue that never entirely faded from her eyes being reflected in his, the pinpoints of light flickering gently. His eyes dropped to her lips and the atmosphere buzzed with tension, his thumb rubbing gentle circles on her hip as he started to lean in for another kiss … and then seemed to think better of it and pulled back again, clearing his throat.

"We're in the clear."

Disappointed, Sirius unwound her arm from his neck and stepped back. "You sure? We _could_ have one more kiss just to make sure?"

Reyes laughed huskily, the sound sending shivers down her spine as he lifted a hand and cupped her cheek, his eyes glowing with arousal. "Now, you're just teasing me." His gaze flicked back to the doorway, alert for more trouble, and he reached for her hand. "Come on, let's get out of here. It's time for phase three of our night."

"Phase three?" Sirius laughed breathlessly as Reyes dragged her out of the room at a jog, the two of them fleeing the scene of the crime like naughty children. "What's phase three?"

"Ryder, please. A gentleman never tells!" he admonished as they scampered hand in hand out of Sloane's Head Quarters, the precious whiskey nestled snugly in his jacket.

He led her down a maze of shadowy back alleys and grimy stairwells, through the kinds of places that Sirius would never have gone alone without a gun; where dark figures lurked threateningly in the shadows, but always seemed to melt away when they caught sight of Reyes. Eventually they came out onto one of the port docks and he indicated a ladder.

"We need to go up." He gestured for her to go first, a small smile playing around the edges of his mouth. "And as a gentleman, I must insist that you go first."

"A gentleman?" She moved past him, enjoying the slight warmth of his chest against her shoulder as she did so. Her body still tingled with warmth and arousal after the kiss earlier, and the knowledge that he'd be coming up the ladder behind her, probably looking up and watching her, made her smile. "You need to make up your mind, Reyes. Either you're going to be a gentleman tonight or you're not."

Reyes chuckled and moved to stand behind her at the foot of the ladder, his body brushing against hers. "I'm always a gentleman, Ryder," he told her softly, his lips warm against her ear. "Even when I'm _not_."

Sirius sucked in a breath as his hands settled on her waist and he helped her onto the lower rungs of the ladder with arms that held more strength than she would have guessed. Even after he let her go she could still feel where his hands had held her, and it took far more concentration that it should have for her to climb the ladder. The thought of him below her, maybe glancing up occasionally to watch her above him, filled her with nervous excitement, and she had to force herself to focus hard on reaching the top safely.

The climb seemed to go forever, but the view from the top was worth it when she finally spilled over the edge. Reyes joined her a moment later, the two of them breathless with exertion and excitement. Kadara Port stretched around them, the buildings gleaming in the setting sun, the neon lights luminous and beautiful, and the sunset shimmering on the horizon in a dazzling display of desert colour.

"Wow!" Sirius said as she walked to the edge of the platform and glanced down. They were higher than she'd realised and when Reyes followed her to the edge and sat down, swinging his long legs over the edge, she copied him. "You know, Kadara Port looks beautiful from up here."

He glanced at her as he pulled the whisky out of his jacket and opened it with a flourish, drawing in the scent with an expression of pure delight. He took a pull from the bottle and closed his eyes as he swallowed, then opened them and scanned the horizon as he passed it over to her.

"It's gorgeous," he agreed softly. "I forget sometimes, but it is lovely here. It's even better since you turned on those monoliths." Reyes gently bumped his shoulder against hers. "Tell me, is Andromeda everything you thought it would be?"

Sirius hesitated and took a drink, her thoughts skimming over her father's death and brother's accident. So much had gone wrong since coming here, and yet … there was so much beauty in Andromeda. So much potential. The whisky burned as she swallowed it, heating her insides and sending a flush of warmth through her body as she turned back to him and handed the bottle over.

"It hasn't been easy," she said slowly. "Losing my dad and finding out our Golden Worlds weren't so golden was pretty tough, but," she raised a hand and gestured at the sunset, "Andromeda has so much potential. There is so much out there waiting for me to find it. I don't regret coming here for a moment."

He smiled at her whimsy and took the bottle. "So, you're an adventurer at heart?"

"I suppose so." Sirius leaned back on her palms and watched Reyes from under her eyeslashes. "What about you? Why'd you come here?"

Reyes took a long pull from the bottle and looked out over the Port, his eyes distant. "To be someone."

There was something in the way he said the words, a kind of loneliness and longing that struck a chord within Sirius, and her breath caught in her chest. "Reyes," she scooted closer to him, until her thigh was pressed to his, "you're someone to _me_."

He looked at her, really looked at her, and it was as though Reyes was seeing her for the first time. Not seeing the Pathfinder, or seeing a woman he could flirt with, but seeing her; Sirius Ryder. His eyes widened slightly, then he smiled slowly and reached for her, his gloved hand sliding along the curve of her jaw. His touch was feathery light, and he set the whisky bottle aside as he cupped her cheek and leaned closer.

"I'm beginning to think that kiss was more than just a distraction," he murmured. His hazel eyes were aglow with the light of the sunset as he bent down and pressed his lips to hers, the gentle pressure of his gloved hand against her cheek sliding to the back of her neck and pulling her closer as she groaned into his mouth.

Sirius' eyelids fluttered closed and she opened her mouth to his teasing kiss, sliding her tongue along his and gently dragging her fingers through his hair. Reyes made a sound of pleasure and linked his free arm around her waist, hauling her onto his lap and driving his tongue deeper into his mouth; his kiss hungry and demanding. He was intoxicating; the feel of his body under hers, of his hard-packed muscles and the way he held her so tightly to him.

Her heart thundered in her chest and butterflies danced in her belly as his hands roved her body, sliding down her back and along her waist until he cupped her ass. She gasped, the sound mostly pleasure but half in surprise when he ground her closer to him, letting her feel the erection straining against the fabric of his pants. Encouraged, she nipped at his lower lip and kissed him again, a honeyed feeling of arousal pulsing through her as she opened her eyes to find him watching her.

"We should take this somewhere more private," she suggested breathlessly, "I'm a little worried I'm going to overbalance and fall backwards. A lot of my experiences in Andromeda so far have involved me falling from very high places, and I'd rather this not be one of them."

Reyes grinned and his arms tightened. "I'm _very_ happy to take this somewhere more intimate, but as for the other," he leaned closer and kissed her again. "You should know I would never let you fall. Come on."

They left their lookout and Reyes' led her back through another series of winding allies to a small apartment that looked like it had only recently been rented. They talked as they walked hand in hand; about silly things like foods they missed from back home and their favourite vids. There was a lightness to Reyes which Sirius had never seen before, as though he had dropped a mask which he'd been keeping up for her sake.

She liked it.

The moment Reyes closed and locked the door behind them, they were back in each other's arms again, the excitement they'd held in check breaking free and racing through their bodies like electricity. Sirius laughed throatily as Reyes trapped her between his arms against the door with a wicked smile and kissed her, his enthusiasm forcing her head back hard.

"I didn't plan this, you know," he mumbled against her lips, sounding decidedly less suave and in control than he had earlier. "I really was going to be a perfect gentleman tonight despite your … encouragement."

Sirius grinned and rubbed her cheek against his. "Oh, I'm sure."

He nipped and kissed along her jaw, his breathing slightly ragged as he spoke between each press of his mouth of her skin. "I swear! On my honour, Ryder! I never planned to seduce you."

"Who said you seduced anyone?" she asked as he began to kiss his way down her neck. "Maybe it was me who seduced you with my irresistible charm-"

"You?" Reyes pulled back to look at her, his eyes dancing as his hands slid down to cup her ass. "You think you seduced me?"

He laughed and Sirius playfully punched him in the arm. "Hey, you seemed pretty charmed back there!"

"Mmm. It's true." He agreed and reclaimed her mouth as he lifted her into his arms, his strength again surprising her. Reyes carried her over to the bed and placed her down with a dramatic flourish, then came down beside her, his eyes gleaming in the dim light. "So, great seductress, now that you have me, what are you going to do with me?"

Sirius sat up and shrugged off her leather jacket. She tossed it aside, and then unwound her scarf from her neck and it joined the jacket on the floor. Reyes reclined on the bed like a great big cat, his eyes burning with heat as they watched her tug her shirt from the waistband of her pants and pull it over her head. She heard his sharp intake of breath as she exposed the stretch of skin beneath and her lacy black bra, and a moment later felt the bed give as Reyes crawled closer.

She tossed her shirt onto the growing pile of clothes and grinned as she opened her eyes to find him kneeling in front of her. He shed his jacket and drew her into his arms, his hands warm and calloused as they travelled over her skin, following her curves and exploring her body. She pulled him into a kiss, hungry for more, and helped him out of his clothes in between kisses; enjoying tasting and touching the wonderful body that she found beneath.

Eventually all their clothes lay abandoned in piles at the foot of the bed, and their naked bodies pressed hotly together; limbs tangled as they lay in each other's arms. Reyes was lithely muscled, beautifully put together, with a body that was athletic and strong. Sirius dusted kisses across his chest and then made her way lower, licking and kissing her way across abdominal muscles that tightened with every touch of her lips. One of his hands wound in her long dark hair and she glanced up at him, teasingly dipping her tongue into his belly button as she scooted even lower _still_.

"Ryder!" Reyes hissed her name as she took him in one hand, enjoying the solid feel of his length in her palm. He was hot and hard, and she grinned as she very slowly took him into her mouth, swirling her tongue around his head and working her way down his shaft. Reyes swore quietly and fisted one hand into the bedding and tightened the other in her hair; his hips eagerly pushing himself deeper into her mouth.

She slid her lips up and down his length, sucking gently and flicking her tongue over his burning hot skin as she went down on him; the sounds of pleasure he was making were music to her ears. Eventually his hand slid out of her hair and found hers, their fingers linking as he let out a strangled sound and tugged her up and away from him.

"No more, I'm too close," he told her, his voice trembling with desire.

Sirius gave Reyes one final kiss and allowed him to pull her up his body, unable to keep from smiling as she saw how turned on he was. They kissed again, hungry and desperate for more of each other, then he rolled her over and trapped her beneath him, one hand slipping between her legs; his long clever fingers finding the nub at the apex of her thighs and gently circling it. She gasped and arched towards him, a golden warmth flooding her body as she clung to him all the tighter, clawing at his shoulders in pleasure.

"Mmm, you know, you were very good at that, Ryder," he said smoothly, his voice a husky purr in her ear. "Maybe I should start calling you _Shena_?"

Sirius groaned. "My God, that's so cheesy. Just shut up already."

He laughed and gently bit the side of her neck. "You could be right, but it doesn't make it any less true."

She giggled as he kissed his way down her body, taking first one nipple and then the other into his mouth, his tongue circling the rosy peaks, lapping at them gently before he resumed his journey down her body. His hands stroked her skin, tracing long paths from her hips to ankles, and she widened her legs for him as he settled between them, his breath hot on her skin as he kissed her belly and her inner thighs. Sirius bit her lower lip, her stomach turning belly flops as he watched her from those burnished greeny-gold eyes she loved so much.

He hooked her legs over his shoulders and turned his attention to her honeyed core, his body half in shadow and half in light as he began an exploration of her innermost place. His tongue flicked against her clit and delved between her folds, and Sirius gasped and closed her eyes as he used his mouth and fingers to drive her wild. It had been a long time since she had been with anyone who made her feel like this, and even longer since she had been with anyone who she had felt this kind of spark for in return.

It felt perfect. Better than perfect. As though it were meant to be.

A wonderful heavy warmth flooded her body, and she curled her toes and arched towards him. "Jesus, Reyes!"

"Mmm," he purred sexily and sucked on her clit, the sensation almost causing her to jack-knife up from the bed as white-hot pleasure speared through her. He dropped several smaller kisses on and around her sex and then made his way back up her body and drove his tongue into her mouth; tasting of whisky and the earthier taste of her juices. His hands shaped and massaged her breasts, thumbs playing over her nipples as their tongues danced together; their desire peaking.

"You're so sweet," Reyes told her, his voice trembling as he framed her face with his hands and gazed down at her. "You drive me wild."

"You drive me crazy too," she told him as she smiled up at him, her body buzzing with arousal and biotics.

He opened his mouth as though he were going to say something else, then closed it and gave his head a little shake and kissed her again instead. The passion of that kiss so strong that it almost blew her mind. Sirius clung to him as her positioned himself at her entrance, her body aching, wet, and so ready that he slipped inside of her easily; his body sinking into hers as though it she had been made to fit him.

She gasped as he withdrew slightly and then sheathed his length inside of her with one powerful thrust, his body trembling as he held himself deep inside of her for a moment; savouring the feel of her around him. Then he began to move, his body pumping slowly into hers as he gathered her close. Sirius wound her legs around his waist and urged him on with small gasps and whimpering cries, kissing his neck, face and lips; whatever part of him she could reach.

"Reyes!" she gasped his name and raked her nails down his back as that familiar tension and warmth began to build again, starting in her core and flowing out to her limbs. "Please!"

She wasn't sure what she was asking him to do, only that she needed him to keep going; that she would die if he stopped. It were as though he were holding her together; as though it were the feel of his body moving within hers, of the heat of his skin, and the pressure of his lips that was anchoring her to this world and she'd fly apart at a molecular level if he left her now. She clung to him tightly, her breath coming in short pants as he lifted himself onto his forearms and began to drive himself into her harder and faster; sensing what she needed and craved.

The pleasure built and tightened within her; the white noise and the bright lights inside of her head reaching a crescendo that hit their peak all at once and crashed over her in a wave of pleasure, heat, and an explosion of bright blue biotic light that crawled across her skin like blue flames. She cried out Reyes name as she came, rocking her hips towards him and burying her face in his shoulder. Distantly she heard him say something in Spanish, and a moment later he followed her over the edge, his body shuddering as he spilled himself within her.

They held each other tightly as they rode the waves of their orgasm, until finally, his breath heaving, Reyes fell beside her and tugged Sirius into his arms, his hands roaming her body in gentle sweeping caresses. She snuggled close to him and rested her head on his chest, listening to the frantic pounding of his heart as it slowed to a steady beat. They lay for a time in silence, their legs tangled together, him resting his chin on the top of her head while he ran the fingers of one hand through her long dark hair.

Eventually Reyes cleared his throat and spoke up.

"Do you always glow?" he asked hesitantly.

Sirius opened her eyes in surprise and pushed herself up on one elbow so she could look at him, blinking in bemusement. "What … ? You mean my biotics?"

Reyes nodded, that damned smile tugging at one corner of his mouth again. "I've never been with a biotic before and it was a little … surprising."

"Shit!" She bit her lip and looked away in embarrassment. "I should have warned you. Sorry." She _could_ keep her biotics in check if she really wanted to, but it was a struggle when she was really aroused, and when she was in bed and having a good time it was something she didn't think about unless she had to. "Next time, I'll-" Realising what she was saying she faltered and blushed, and quickly tried to cover up what she'd been assuming. "I mean, if there is a next time, if you want to-"

He laughed and rolled over to cover her again, kissing her into silence and then rubbing his cheek against hers. "Oh, I want to, _Bluebird_. This thing between us is special."

"Bluebird?" Sirius asked hesitantly.

No one had ever given her a nickname before.

"Mmm," Reyes nibbled one earlobe gently. "You're like a little bluebird who flies into my life in a burst of colour, and then vanishes when the mood takes her." He moved his attention to her neck and began to nuzzle and kiss along the column of her throat. "It feels like spring when you're here and winter when you're gone, and," he gently bit her and Sirius gasped, "you really are very _blue_ with those biotics and those eyes of yours."

She smiled, unable to help herself as he held her tightly to him; _he liked her._

"Does that mean I get to give you a nickname too?"

Reyes froze for a moment, the instant passing so quickly that Sirius was almost certain that she had imagined it, but he stopped his playful nuzzling and sat up to look at her, his eyes surprisingly serious as they met hers. "No, no nicknames for me," his voice was quietly intense and he cupped one cheek with a hand, his touch gentle, almost reverent. "I'm sick of nicknames. When I'm with you I just want to be Reyes."

"Sick of _Shena_ , huh?" Sirius teased, and she covered his hand with hers, pulling it to her mouth and planting a kiss on the back of his palm.

"Something like that." He sighed and laced his fingers with hers, then he gave himself a small shake and smiled. "Besides, maybe I Just like the way you say my name?"

She laughed and cuddled closer to him, feeling as though she were glowing with happiness. "Well, I think I can manage to call you Reyes, and," Sirius reached her head up and snagged a quick kiss, "I'm glad you want to see me again. I don't normally do _this_ kind of thing on a first date. I'm, uh, not entirely sure what got into me."

She flushed as Reyes smiled lazily and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "If you like, I'm sure we could blame the whisky," he suggested. "Though I'm inclined to believe something a little more poetic myself."

"And what's that?" Sirius asked, biting her lip as she felt his hands slip down to cup her ass and pull her into contact with his hardening body again.

Reyes grinned. "Maybe we're meant to be?"

* * *

_A/N - well isn't that just the cutest? Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up soon. Reviews are very welcome._


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N - thank you so much to everyone who is reading along with this story. Especially to the people who took time out to give me a review and encourage me to keep going - that kind of support means so much! I really hope you guys enjoy the next part of the story, which really just deepens their relationship a little more._

_If you follow me on Tumblr (vorchagirl), I do post snippets and drabbles about Sirius and Reyes quite often - and all of those snippets are from future chapters of the story. I also share a lot of commissions and art for this story!_

_Please enjoy this chapter! The art is by Bloomingcnidarians on Tumblr._

* * *

 

 

The Nomad careened wildly around a corner, the suspension groaning as it compensated for Sirius’ reckless driving and fought to keep all of the wheels on the ground. Vetra let out a low moan as though struggling not to be sick, and Liam, who was in the middle of taking a drink from his canteen, hastily swallowed his mouthful and clung tightly to the handle on the ceiling. Sirius laughed at their twin expressions of horror as she launched the vehicle off the bank of a washed out creek bed and then accelerated towards the road.

“Not that I’m criticising,” Liam drained the last of the water from his canteen and let the bottle fall to the floor, a determined look coming over his face as he rocked back and forth in the Nomad, “but don’t you think you should take things a little slower?”

Sirius gunned the engines and hit the boost. “You say _slower_ and I hear _faster_!”

“Damn you, Liam!” Vetra cursed. “Stop saying things to encourage her!”

The two humans laughed as the turian turned a pale shade of green.

“Aaaw, come on! This is fun, right?” Sirius asked. “And I bet it beats the hell out of catching a ride back to the port with Sloane.”

“Yeah,” Liam sniggered, “like she would have _offered_!”

Vetra murmured an agreement, her mandibles flicking slightly; as though she found the idea of Sloane a distasteful one. Sirius forced her attention back to the road. It was good to laugh; all three of them were looking slightly worse for wear after helping Sloane take out the Kett camp on Kadara.

“So, I’ve been meaning to ask,” Liam started, his tone wheedling. “You and Reyes? What’s going on there? It seems like things between the two of you have accelerated recently.” Sirius remained quiet, and when she didn’t respond, he cleared his throat. “Well?” he prompted. “Aren’t you going to say anything?”

“Yeah,” Vetra sounded amused. “No quick defense or witty shut down? _My my!_ ”

Sirius resisted the urge to roll her eyes at them both as she spun the steering wheel sharply in the direction of Kadara Port. “I like him. What’s to shut down or defend?”

“Yeah, but,” he hesitated and seemed to gather his courage to spit out whatever was on his mind. ‘“The two of you seem pretty into each other all of a sudden. I’m not saying I don't like him, because I do, _kinda_ , it’s just that for a few weeks there you were keeping things mostly professional, and the next thing I know you’re coming down to Kadara on your own and meeting up with him - and that’s been going on for a month now. It doesn’t take a genius to see what’s happening. Not with the way you and Reyes stare at each other like you can barely wait for the rest of us to leave the room before you rip each others clothes off-”

“Jesus, Liam.” Sirius face burned as she looked sideways at him. “Is everyone on the Tempest gossiping about what I do down on Kadara?”

He offered her a weak grin. “Pretty much. Gil is running a betting pool, and SAM didn’t help things when he let slip to Cora that your _relationship with Mr Vidal seemed to be helping you move past the grief of Alec’s death_.” Liam did a fair impression of SAM’s robotic voice.

“Oh, so naturally I must be down their fucking him!” Sirius narrowed her eyes as the rocky landscape sped past in a blur, mostly annoyed because they were right; she and Reyes were sleeping together on a regular basis. “I couldn’t possibly be meeting up with him for any other reason?”

Liam laughed and leaned back in the seat. “Oh, come on! Are you really going to try and play innocent?”

She shot him a dark look. “It’s none of your business what I do on Kadara. Or with whom I do it with.”

Infuriatingly, he just chuckled. “Ah, now there’s the attitude I was waiting for. Look, I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable, and God knows you can do whatever you want with whoever you like, just be careful okay? Kadara isn’t a nice place, and even if Vidal seems like a nice guy, he’s still a smuggler and he must have been involved in the uprising if he ended up here.” He caught the exasperated look she threw at him and his grin grew wider. “So long as he treats you good, I’m fine with you two doing the nasty together-”

“Oh Spirits!” Vetra looked nauseated at the euphemism, but Liam just clapped her on the shoulder and continued.

“- just keep your eyes open and watch yourself, okay?”

Sirius rolled her eyes. “Yes, dad.”

“Dad?!” He looked insulted. “I like to think of myself more as the helpful older brother type in Scott’s absence! Doling out nuggets of seer-like information.”

Vetra laughed. “Doling out steaming piles of shit more like it.” She shook her head at him. “What he’s trying to say is that we’re worried you’ve thrown yourself into this relationship too fast to try and and makeup for the hole your father’s death left in your life. Having a little fun on the side is one thing, but Vidal is the kind of guy who I see a lot in my line of work. He’s the kind of person who would take advantage if it suited him.”

_They think he’s using you._

Sirius clenched her jaw; they didn’t know Reyes like she did. They didn’t know how sweet and sensual he could be, how he could make her laugh with a turn of a phrase or a simple look, or how gently he held her as they made love. He could make her blood fizz with electricity and need, _and_ he could make her melt with desire.

There was nothing in the way he looked at her, nothing in the way he spoke to her, nothing in the way he treated her _at all_ , that suggested he was using her.

“You can all stop gossiping about me," she grumbled, casting a sidelong glance at Liam who grinned even wider as she frowned. "I’m not hurling myself blindly into bed with Reyes to get over any daddy issues I have, and he’s not going to take advantage of me.”

“So you _are_ sleeping with him! I knew it! Jaal owes me beer!” Liam crowed delightedly.

Sirius groaned and focused on driving while Vetra and Liam resumed gossiping. It took most of her concentration to keep control of the wheel; her body was aching from the biotic attacks she’d kept up during the fight. Her shoulders ached from Charging and slamming into Kett, and her knuckles were bruised and sore from the Nova’s she had punched into the ground.

It would be a relief to reach Kadara port, turn control of the Nomad over to the Tempest, and to head to Tartarus for a drink and some down time. She had received a message from Reyes only hours before. Somehow, and she wasn’t quite sure how, he always seemed to know when she was on Kadara, and he invariably made contact with her within a few hours of her touching down.

His message earlier had been an intriguing one:

* * *

  _Bluebird,_

_If you get a chance, stop in and see me at Tartarus. I’ve got something in my possession which may be of interest to you._

__\- Reyes xx_ _

* * *

 Usually their meetings were a mixture of business and pleasure; Reyes would happily help her out with information and intel, doing all he could to smooth the way for her in Kadara Port, and once she had taken care of whatever mission had brought her there, they would indulge themselves in the more intimate side of their relationship.

Sometimes they indulged themselves three or four times a night.

Sirius grinned thinking about it. After today, she felt as though she had earned some R&R with Reyes, as well as a good hard drink. Fighting the Kett was one thing, but fighting them alongside Sloane, who had acted as though it were her fight and she were the one to have discovered their base, had been downright _insulting_.

The woman was intolerable. Few people made her flesh crawl like she did, and the last few weeks had shown Sirius that Sloane was not just corrupt; she was evil. Abusing the poor, beating them up, extorting money, and even sentencing them to death was nothing to her. But it had been speaking to the doctor in the slums that had made her realise how twisted the woman was.

Sloane had created a drug in a deliberate attempt to addict the people living in the slums. Her aim had been to get even more money from them, and to keep them docile and prevent them from rising against her. It was sickening. Only someone without morals or conscience would have done something so completely despicable.

Sirius’ hands clenched on the wheel as she thought about it. There were few things in this world which pushed her to blind hate, but the exploitation of the poor and helpless was one of those things. Especially exploitation through drugs.

She mulled over her dislike of Sloane as she brought the Nomad roaring back to the slums and left it in the care of Liam and Vetra. Both of them laughed quietly when she changed out of her armour, then excused herself and headed in the direction of Tartarus, but there didn’t seem to be any point hiding where she was going or who she planned to see. She wasn’t ashamed of wanting to spend time with Reyes and find a little bit of happiness where she could, and besides; if they needed her for anything, SAM could always contact her.

The slums were bustling with the usual ragged bunch of unhappy looking people, and Sirius skirted around a tall lanky woman who eyed her weapons desperately. So far no one had actually tried to rob her down here; the word on the street was that the Charlatan had ordered that her and her people were to be left alone, but Sirius wasn’t about to leave anything to chance. For one thing, she didn’t know why the Charlatan would want her left in peace, and for another, desperate people had a habit of forgetting everything except their own needs in the heat of the moment.

It was a relief to get away from the staring eyes of hungry people and slip inside the bar. It was familiar to her now and she felt oddly at home as she cut through the dance floor, the air wreathed in cigar smoke. The blaze of neon lights and pumping dance beats had attracted a small crowd of inebriated patrons who were gyrating wildly, and Sirius nodded to the bartender as she moved through them, collecting her usual drink without a word as she moved upstairs to Reyes room.

“Bluebird!” he greeted her when she opened the door and walked in, his hazel eyes skimming over her as though checking for injuries, or possibly just admiring the view. “I was hoping you’d drop by.” Reyes placed a datapad down which he’d been reading and switched it off, then stood up and moved to her side. “You look like you’ve seen some action, and _not_ the good kind.”

Sirius breathed a sigh of relief as his hands slid around her waist and he drew her into an embrace, his lips meeting hers in a warm, lingering kiss. All day she had been yearning to feel his arms around her and to have his mouth pressed to hers, and now that she was here she felt safe and relaxed. Reyes broke the kiss slowly, placing several smaller kisses around her mouth, his hands flexing on her waist possessively as drew her over to the seats and sat her down.

“I found a small group of Kett camped out in the mountains that Sloane had missed,” she told him as he eased her jacked off her shoulders and began a massage; his strong hands kneading the tension out of her muscles. “I thought it would just be her pet turian Kaetus who was coming along to help me, but the queen bee herself showed up.”

Sirius couldn’t keep the distaste out of her tone as she spoke, and Reyes leaned close and pressed his mouth to the nape of her neck, his hands still rubbing her sore shoulders.  The sensation of his kiss sent bubbles of excitement fizzing through her bloodstream, and she gasped slightly, pressing back against him.

“So, Sloane missed some Kett?” Reyes kissed her neck again, almost absently. “Interesting. I know one or two people who would pay good money for that information.” He sounded amused at the thought of ruining Sloane’s reputation and he moved his hands lower down her back, massaging the tight spots under her shoulder blades. “You weren’t hurt in the fighting?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m just sore. I swear, no matter how well they train you to use vanguard biotics, you always pay for using them later on.” Sirius held up a hand and tugged her glove off, letting Reyes see her red and bruised knuckles.

He drew in a sharp breath and stopped massaging, instead he wrapped his arms around her middle and pulled her back against him, resting her back against his chest as he took her hand in his and lifted it to his mouth. Gently, and with a touch so light she barely felt it, he kissed each one of her knuckles, and then lay her hand back in her lap. Sirius shifted on his lap, something pulling taut low in her body at the feeling of his mouth on her skin.

“Better?” Reyes asked.

“Yes.” She turned in his lap and straddled him, resting her arms on his shoulders as she leaned down and lightly kissed the tip of his nose. “So what was it you wanted to show me?” she asked as she broke the kiss. “You message mentioned something of interest?”

He grinned wickedly. “Well, _interesting_ is a matter of opinion. I may have been a little deceptive with my wording-”

Sirius groaned. “Does that mean I came all the way here _just_ to see you?” She leaned forward and kissed him again. “And here I thought you had some tidbit of information for me. Reyes Vidal, how could you lie to me like that?”

“I said I was deceptive, I didn’t say I lied,” he winked as drew a small box out of his jacket pocket, then met her eyes, looking suddenly nervous. “I hope you like them.”

 _Had he got her a present?_ Sirius’ stomach fluttered nervously, and she bit her lip as she plucked the small jewellers box out of his hands, unable to keep an excited smile off her face. No one had ever bought her jewellery before. Not even her last boyfriend, and they’d been going steady for almost an entire year before she had decided to end things and ship off with the initiative.

“What is it?” she asked curiously, weighing the box in her hands and shaking it.

Reyes grinned. “You’re worse than a child! Open it and see.”

His hands slid back to her waist and he massaged in encouragement as she slipped the lid off and gasped in delight as she caught sight of the contents; a set of gleaming bright blue bluebird earrings. They were made of a gleaming sky blue stone and plated with a silver metal that had been polished to a high shine, and, unable to help herself, she delicately stroked them with a finger as though they were diamonds, and then slipped them into her ears.

“How do I look?” she asked, turning her head this way and that.

Reyes’ eyes gleamed hungrily. “Perfect,” he told her.

Sirius wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her mouth to his in a hot, simmering kiss. “Where on earth did you get them?” she asked when she came up for air.

“They’re just something I came across while I was on a job,” he shrugged casually and reached up to touch one of her ears gently. “They reminded me of you so I made sure that I … acquired them. I’m glad I did; they suit you.”

She narrowed her eyes and kissed him again, teasingly, on the lips. “You didn’t steal them did you?”

Reyes widened his eyes innocently. “ _Steal_ is such a strong word!”

Sirius laughed and pressed her forehead to his. “God, I really missed you, you know?” she told him softly. “I keep finding reasons to come to Kadara and see you.”

He chuckled, a rich masculine sound, and his hands slid down to cup her ass. “For which I’m very grateful, Bluebird. I look forward to your visits. No one here gets me quite like you do.” Reyes framed her face in his hands and kissed her, slow and deep, his tongue sliding along hers in a silken flash of heat.

She was breathless when he drew back. “I bet you say that to all your lovers,” she teased.

“No,” Reyes looked surprisingly serious as he ran his thumb over her lower lip, his eyes dark with lust. “No other lovers, just you. Only you.”

Sirius’ heart skipped a beat and her breath caught in her throat at his admission, and some small part of her knew she was helplessly head over heels with this man. What had started as lust and desire had become something more over the past past few weeks. Things between them were intense and passionate, and when she was with him she felt more free than she had at any other time in her life.

Reyes accepted her exactly as she was.

“You know exactly what to say to turn a girl on, don’t you?” she groaned against his lips as she leaned down for another kiss, sliding her hands down the front of his light armour, her fingernails clicking over the buckles and plating.

He just chuckled and his fingers began to tug her shirt from the waistband of her pants, his kiss teasing as he dipped his tongue into her mouth. His hands slid under her shirt and he cupped her breasts, his fingers teasing her nipples through the lacy fabric of her bra. Sirius groaned and arched towards him as he tweaked and stroked the rosy peaks, then squeezed and shaped her flesh.

They were both hungry for more, and their hands roamed freely as they luxuriated in the feel of each others bodies. Reyes was hard already, and she stroked him through his pants, grinning at his soft grunts and the subtle shift of his body towards her. With a soft jingle of metal buckles she undid his holster and then his belt, then slid her hand inside his pants, and took him in her hand, pumping her fingers up and down the velvety hot length of him.

“Siri!” he groaned her name into her mouth mid-kiss, his hips bucking towards her as she touched him. “Fuck, I need to be inside of you.”

Sirius laughed with delight at his urgency as he tipped her backwards. His hands scrabbled at her pants, desperately finding the catches and pulling them open, and they shed only what clothes they needed to to be comfortable; the few discarded garments ending up on a pile on the floor as Reyes eased her pants and panties down. Sirius managed to get one leg out of her pants before Reyes abruptly picked her up. She automatically wrapped her legs around his waist, clinging to him tightly, and gasped as he backed her against the wall.

He slid one hand between their bodies as she set one leg down for balance, and used the other to keep her leg hooked over his hip. The tip of his erection brushed her entrance and she shivered in anticipation, a hot warmth spreading through her body at the thought of him taking her here in the club with the base of the music pumping through the walls and _people_ standing only metres away with only a thin metal wall and door separating them.

“I swear,” she groaned as he began to tease her; circling her clit with his thumb and slowly slipping two fingers inside of her, using her body's own slick wetness as lubrication, “if someone comes in I’m never going to let you forget this.”

Reyes laughed huskily and leaned down to bite her neck, softly at first, and then harder; until she cried out in pleasure. He wasn’t done yet though, and with a devilish grin he nuzzled and sucked her neck over her pulse point at a place he had learned drove her wild. Sirius whimpered and wriggled against him, wanting him to take that last step and drive himself inside of her; to fuck her senseless until she screamed his name.

“Reyes, please!” she pleaded with him, her nails digging into his coat as she arched towards him in desperate need.

Their mouths met in another hungry kiss as he positioned himself at her entrance, his eyes burning like bright copper pennies as he pinned her with his gaze. “I love when you say my name,” he confessed raggedly as he began to push inside of her, slowly stretching and filling her as only he could. “I love the way you watch me when I do _this.”_

He thrust the rest of the way into her hard, and Sirius gasped as the amazing sensation. Her head fell back and she ground her hips towards him, her muscles clenching around his length. The feeling of him stretching and filling her was incredible, and she whimpered, desperately wanting him to keep keep moving.

Reyes smirked at her sounds of need and gently nipped along the gentle curve of her jaw, his breath hot against her skin as he began to fuck her with deliberate slowness. His movements carried him deep within her, and Sirius curled her leg tighter around his waist, wanting him deeper and harder still. Her fingers raked through his hair and she whimpered in frustration as he continued to move torturously slow.

“Reyes! Please!” She squirmed in his arms, trying to encourage him to move harder and faster. “Harder!”

He laughed, pleased at her need for him, and took her mouth in a sizzling kiss. When he pulled back, the devil himself seemed to dance in the heat in his eyes and Reyes nibbled at her lower lip.

“I like it when you beg me for more too,” he told her, his accent so thick it sent shivers down her spine. “It makes me feel like you need me.”

“I do!” Sirius gasped as he moved his mouth to her neck and gave her another gentle love bite. “I can’t keep away from you!”

Reyes let out a shaky breath, and she barely heard his reply, muffled against her neck as it was; “Dammit, what have you done to me, Bluebird?”

His mouth found hers again, and Reyes thrust into her hard and fast; one hand cupping her ass and the other holding her thigh tightly as they came together with the ferocity of wild animals. He was all she could focus on; the smell of his aftershave, the taste of his kiss, and the feel of his body moving with her. Sirius met each of his thrusts with rolls of her own hips, and the bubbling excitement in her stomach began to build rapidly; spreading through her body like liquid ecstasy.

The sensation of his body pumping into hers as he pinned her against the wall, of being held fast by his strong hands was incredibly erotic. She curled her toes and wrapped her leg more tightly around Reyes’ waist, gasping as he dug his fingers into her backside and began to pull her towards him in time to each thrust. The feel of him slamming into her so deep and hard drew a cry of pleasure from her throat, and he growled her name in response.

The warm tight feeling in her stomach grew, building in time to his thrusts, and when Reyes slid a hand between their bodies and stroked the nub at the apex of her thighs, the pressure burst in a blazing supanova. The ecstasy crashed over her in a tumbling wave of feeling, wanting, and needing. She clung to Reyes desperately. Tightly. Kissing his mouth, his jaw, his neck. Sobbing his name over and over again as her biotics flared as she reached her climax and showered them both in a brilliant blue light; the incredible pleasure echoing through every square inch of her body as her very soul seemed to burst into a million pieces from the wonderful sensations.

“That’s it, Bluebird,” Reyes purred as she cried his name and writhed against him. He thrust hard into her a few more times and then followed her over the edge, catching her mouth in a kiss that she felt all the way to her soul as he shook with the force of his release.

How Reyes kept his footing and held her against the wall afterwards was a mystery for Sirius, who was so boneless with endorphins and pleasure that she would have fallen if she’d tried to stand. But he set her down gently once they both had their breath back, his hands careful as they traced the lines of her body as though committing them to memory, and then he kissed her again; slow and deep. The air felt thick around them when he stepped away, and Sirius felt the loss of the connection between them as the cool air drifted against her skin.

“I think I just worked out the downside of not having a bed,” she complained as she straightened her clothes and watched Reyes do the same.

He glanced up, looking incredibly handsome in the red lighting of the room with his hair all tousled from their love making. “Oh? And what’s that?”

“No cuddling afterwards.” she pouted and finished buckling her pants back up. “Fun as that was, it’s just not the same without you holding me afterwards.”

A wide, surprised grin split Reyes’ face and he threw himself onto the couch and patted the space beside him. “That’s one problem that’s easily rectified. I’m always happy to cuddle.”

“I’ve noticed,” Sirius told him as she slid on the seat and into his arms. “You’re very touchy feely-”

“ _Tactile_ ,” he corrected and settled her in his lap so she lay against his chest. “Is this better?”

She wriggled until he put his arms around her and then she sighed happily. “Yes. Much. Though I wish we were some place nicer.”

Reyes grunted an agreement. “Some day I’ll take you to my cabin out in the wastelands. It’s not much, just a prefab building which I set up. But the view is better than anything back home, the sunsets are incredible, and at night the stars almost seem to dance around the black hole. It’s something else. I wish I had the time to go there more often.”

He sounded wistful, almost dreamy, and Sirius lifted her head slightly so she could look up into his face. His tawny eyes were distant, as though he were imagining being there this moment. Reyes looked younger when he was relaxed like this, and she reached up a hand and stoked his cheek before she could stop herself.

“Did you mean what you said?” she asked suddenly. “About me being your only lover at the moment?”

He caught her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. “Of course,” his voice was husky and his eyes darkened as he looked down at her. “I’m still not sure what this is between us, but I know it’s not casual. At least, not for me. It’s special.”

“Reyes,” Sirius breathed, her heart squeezing as he dipped his head and brushed his lips against hers. “I feel the same way.”

Her eyes drifted shut and when she opened them he was smiling at her again, his expression playful as he stroked his thumb across her lower lip. “I do like it when you say my name,” he murmured. “It’s like music.”

She stifled a laugh and rolled her eyes. “Are you ever going to stop saying cheesy things?”

Reyes _did_ laugh, a rich and vibrant sound that made her stomach flutter, and he cuddled her close. “I’ll stop saying cheesy things the day that you stop secretly enjoying them, Bluebird.”

“Oh, shut up.” Sirius grinned and pulled him down for a kiss, her body buzzing with a kind of happiness which she had never known in her life, but which she was starting to suspect might be love.

 _It feels good,_ she decided as Reyes held her tightly in the red glow of Tartarus. _Even if he doesn’t quite feel the same was as me yet, it feels good to have someone in my life that makes me feel happy._

* * *

_A/N I love these two. Even if I feel like I’m watching two speeding cars about to have a massive car crash, I still love them to death! Thank you for reading, and I’d love to know what you thought! Hopefully the next chapter will be out soon!_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N - Many thanks to the lovely people who are reading along, and to those who have subscribed! And of course, a huge thank you to the people who left me reviews. Your feedback keeps me writing on those days when I want to throw my laptop against the wall! I hope you enjoy this chapter; it's Reyes' point of view, and it's start of a few not quite so happy chapters ... though not for the reasons you're all expecting! Enjoy! _(Art is by art-by-rinrin on tumblr)_**

* * *

  

Sirius Ryder was all smooth lines, soft skin, and elegant curves as she stretched out against him. Her long dark hair smelled sweet and clean, like almonds and roses, and her beautiful eyes glowed beneath her lowered lashes like two jewels. Reyes yawned and congratulated himself again on getting her the earrings, which were the only things she was currently wearing, as she rolled over and blinked sleepily up at him.

_Dios, she was beautiful._

He nuzzled her neck, nipping gently along her pulse point as she sighed and wrapped her arms around him. A slow, heavy desire stirred in Reyes’ body and he rolled and caught her beneath him, catching her mouth with his and sliding a leg between hers. The desire thrumming through his veins built into a demanding hunger, and he trailed greedy hands down her body; stroking, squeezing and shaping every square inch of her wonderful silken skin.

God, but she was lovely. From the first moment he’d seen Sirius in Kralla’s Song he had been completely smitten with her. She was beautiful, vivacious, and so completely unlike anybody else on Kadara that he hadn’t been able to help but flirt with her. Admittedly, he flirted with most people, but he had expected the human Pathfinder to flirt back with him, let alone for her to actually be attracted to him too.

“Damn you, Reyes!” Sirius gasped as he kissed his way down her throat and along her collarbone. “How am I supposed to get up when you keep distracting me like this?”

He chuckled and lightly bit her shoulder. “So stay.” The thought had occurred to him often enough; that he wanted Sirius to stay with him on Kadara for longer than the snatched moments they caught between her missions. “Stay with me for,” he paused to kiss her, “the day?” Another kiss. “Or maybe a week?” And another kiss. “I think we could find a way to pass the time.”

“I can’t!” She lamented softly. “If I didn’t have so many people relying on me, maybe, but …” she broke off and sighed, then kissed _him_ gently, her lips teasing as her tongue slid against his like warm velvet.

“I understand, Bluebird, but you can’t blame a man for trying.” Reluctantly, Reyes drew back, the hunger within him unsated and burning uncomfortably. Still, the feeling was nothing new, more often than not Sirius left him hungry and aching for more when she was going away. She was like a drug that he was hopelessly addicted to; his own personal _Oblivion_.

Sirius sat up and stretched, the morning light that streamed through the windows dancing over her naked skin. She glanced at him over her shoulder and grinned. “Oh, I can’t blame you for trying. I just wish I could take you up on your offer. Maybe one day when the Nexus doesn’t need me so badly-”

Reyes kissed her dappled shoulder, mesmerised by the play of shadow and light on her skin. “I’ll take you away to my cabin and we’ll watch the stars together. You can tell me all about your life in the Milky Way, and we’ll talk about the future here in Andromeda. It will be magic.”

Her eyes softened and for a moment Reyes thought she might give in and stay with him, but with a groan she shoved him away and stood up. “One day, but not today.”

“Damn, I almost had you.” He winked at her when she threw him a frustrated look. “What can I say? I’m a greedy man.”

She snorted with laughter and turned away shaking her head. “Far too tempting for your own good, is what you are.”

_If only I was, then I’d have you back in this bed and flat on your back-_

Reyes nipped that line of thought in the bud and settled back on the bed, watching as Sirius stood up and began to dress, her movements swift and graceful as she pulled on her jeans. It was hard to pinpoint the moment when he had realised he was getting serious about her, though it might have been the moment she had defended him against his ex; when she had bristled like an angry cat and told Zia that he was a better man than she realised. Or maybe it had been that moment watching the sunset together, the same morning they had made love.

Or maybe, just maybe, it had built up, day by day, with each touch and each flirtatious comment, until both of them had _needed_ to be with each other. All he knew was that he’d never felt like this before. It was dangerous to want somebody, to need them, but he couldn’t seem to make himself walk away from Sirius or the way she made him feel.

He sighed and forced himself to get up. Unfortunately, looming over the good feelings was the knowledge that sooner or later Sirius would find out the truth of who he was; the faceless Charlatan behind The Collective. And he didn’t doubt that she would be angry with him, especially since he _had_ intended to use her position as the Pathfinder to help him take down Sloane … he just hadn’t been planning on falling for her too.

Reyes shifted uneasily at the thought of the smile melting from her face, of that happy light in her eyes turning cold. Getting so involved with her, _sleeping with her_ , had been a stupid decision, but he hadn’t been able to help himself. He liked making her smile, liked holding her while she slept, and liked the way she fit against him so perfectly.

He didn’t want to lose that.

“What’s up next for my Pathfinder?” Reyes asked casually as he began to get dressed, pulling clean underclothes out of his dresser, then putting on his usual light armour.

Sirius finished zipping up her pants and turned to face him, her eyes lingering on his chest in a way that made Reyes smirk. “There’s an anomalous reading in the Badlands that I want to check out. I think it might be an angaran relic.”

“An angaran relic? That doesn’t sound quite as exciting as Kett, but at least you _probably_ won’t have to deal with Sloane.” He winked and pulled his shirt on, unable to stop himself grinning when she blushed.

“Hopefully not, since I’m still sore from yesterday.” She pulled on her crumpled shirt and tossed him a sidelong glance. “Though I’m not sure I can blame _all_ of these aches and pains on the Kett.”

Reyes chuckled and moved to Sirius’ side, catching her hands in his and kissing her soundly before he moved his mouth to her ear. “I didn’t hear any complaints from you last night.”

She shivered against him and Reyes kissed her neck and slid his arms down her body, enjoying the soft feel of her curves beneath her jacket as he stepped away. His body was heavy with need now, but he forced himself to ignore it and get dressed; both of them had work to do today, and no matter how much he wanted to throw her over his shoulder and carry her back to bed to ravish her, there really wasn’t any time.

Still, it _was_ tempting.

“You’re a beast,” Sirius said playfully as she finished dressing and tied her hair up in its customary pony tail. “But you’re my beast, so it’s okay.”

Reyes just chuckled as he adjusted his holster and slid his gun home, the weight familiar and comforting against his thigh. Finally dressed, they headed out together. After their tryst in Tartarus yesterday they’d spent the rest of the afternoon and the entire night together at his apartment; Reyes had even had the pleasure of spending an uncomfortable period of time in the company of Liam and Vetra while Sirius retrieved a change of clothes and some toiletries. He had walked away with the distinct impression that her friends didn’t think he was good enough for her, and he the knowledge had rankled considerably.

 _Well you are keeping things from her_ , he pointed out to himself dryly, _and you are a liar and a murderer, so they’re not entirely wrong to doubt you; you’re probably not good enough for her._

They didn’t speak much as they made their way down to where the Nomad was waiting, though they walked closer together; their shoulders, hips and hands brushing occasionally. The silence was companionable, and Reyes found his mind wandering as they turned a corner and Sloane’s little fortress of solitude came into view. He barely kept his lip from curling with contempt.

He had left the Nexus because he didn’t like how Tann was running things, but Sloane had turned out to be even worse. Much worse. So much for their fresh start. Reyes looked down at his boots as he walked and snuck the occasional look at Sirius; did she realise how much she meant to people? As angry as she made the exiles in Kadara, a lot of that hostility was because she had shown up too late to save them all.

They were outcasts from their own kind.

Hated.

Loathed.

Feared.

If the Arks had arrived a little sooner, if they’d come before things turned toxic and the uprising had happened, things might have been different. Sirius was a symbol for all of that. She wasn’t just a Pathfinder. For those of them who had woken first on the Nexus, who had struggled through those dark days fighting to stay alive, fighting to find hold on, she was hope for the future. Hope that all of this hadn’t been in vain.

He’d wanted her on his side against the coming fight with Sloane, he would never deny it if she asked. Everything she represented, everything she stood for, it was a powerful symbol, and he wanted to use that against Sloane. Sloane had pushed people too far, had hurt too many, risked too much, had twisted her own morals until ruling Kadara had become more important than protecting the people she had helped lead in the uprising.

Now the people were at risk. Anyone could see it. If the Kett returned to Kadara in force there was no way that Sloane could hold them off, and she was determined to see a war between the Collective and her Outcasts; she had made it clear that negotiations and peaceful coexistence was off the table. It was her way or the highway, and a war was something Reyes knew they could not afford - not against the Kett and not against each other.

He looked at Sirius again, at her oiled leather jacket, her long glossy hair, at the curve of her jaw and the long clean lines of her elegant neck. She was beautiful, too beautiful; she didn’t fit in on Kadara.  
  
_Reyes you idiot, let her go!_ He chastised himself as they walked. _She doesn’t belong here. As a symbol against Sloane she’s perfect, as an ally she is unbeatable, but you’re going to hurt her if you keep going._  
  
He clenched his jaw, not wanting to believe it, but knowing it was true. No one liked being lied to. No one liked being used. All he had to do was tell her the truth; to tell her now before things went any further.  
  
Reyes turned to face Sirius, opened his mouth and groped blindly for the words that he knew he had to say … but before he could get a word out she looked at him. Her lovely eyes filled with that swirling blue light met his as she smiled … and he was lost.  
  
Maybe he’d always been lost.  
  
Maybe he was fool to think he could get out now.  
  
_I can’t do it_ , he thought with something like horror. _I can’t lose her._  
  
Reyes’ hand found hers and their fingers linked together, strong, firm; Sirius was tougher than she looked, he remembered. So much stronger than people gave her credit for, even stronger than he gave her credit for. He could feel her biotics humming beneath her skin like a faint electric current that made the hairs on his arm stand on end. She was fierce and beautiful like a Kadara thunderstorm; filled with electricity and light, and more than capable of killing anyone who didn’t get out of her way.  
  
A smile crept across his face, small and sharp; _maybe_ , he thought hopefully, _Sirius did fit in on Kadara after all._  
  
He just hoped she would forgive him.

“What’s that look for?” Sirius asked as she swung around and came to a stop in front of him, her eyes twinkling. “You’re looking very pleased with yourself-”

Reyes looped an arm around her waist and pulled her into a kiss before she could finish, forcing her back against the wall as her mouth opened under his and he deepened the kiss. He held her crushingly close, thrusting his tongue into her mouth as he kissed her as though he were trying to climb inside of her, hungry to remember the taste of her in this moment. She clung to him as she always did, those surprisingly dainty hands of hers clinging to his shoulders as though she were swooning.

A shiver spread through Reyes, and he bit back a growl of arousal as she moaned into his mouth and her tongue slid along his lower lip in a teasing motion. They broke apart slowly, reluctantly, with several shorter heart-stopping kisses that then broke into a dusting of feathery light kisses. By the time Reyes stepped back, his chest was heaving and his body was again tight and hot with need.

“I really wish I didn’t have to go to work,” Sirius whispered into the silence, her hands tightening on his shoulders.

He chuckled and leaned in for one last kiss, unable to resist the lure of her warm soft lips. “You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t go.”

“Mmm,” she agreed. “But I wish I didn’t have to.”

 _Wishes_ , Reyes thought, _were starting to become the foundation of their relationship_. He wondered if it was healthy.

“I have to go.” She pushed away from the wall and straightened her clothes, her cheeks pink with arousal.

Reyes looked around, they were almost at the slums, and beyond that were the Badlands. “Who are you taking with you?” he asked, more to make conversation than because he cared.

To his surprise, Sirius shook her head. “No one, I’m going solo on this one. Everyone else has business to attend to.”

She was going into the Badlands alone? He couldn’t keep the frown off his face. “Is that safe?”

“I’m going out to pick up a relic, I’m not planning on fighting a fiend or taking on a platoon of Raiders.” She grinned at his worried expression and nudged him. “I’ll be in the Nomad, and I swear at the first sign of danger I’ll be calling in Kallo for a pickup.”

Reyes forced himself to stop frowning but couldn’t shake the awful feeling that settled in the pit of his stomach. “You’re the pathfinder,” he said simply. “But I’d feel a hell of a lot better if you were taking someone with you.”

Sirius raised an eyebrow. “I have SAM.”

He couldn’t help but think that she was taking this far too lightly, but he supposed if she was staying in the armoured Nomad, was staying in communication with the Tempest, and was scanning constantly, then she she could be okay.

“Bluebird-”

“I love that you’re worried about me,” she interrupted, grinning. “Reyes Vidal, big bad smuggler and member of the angaran resistance worried about the Pathfinder.” Reyes flushed, but the feeling of unease didn’t fade; the Badlands were dangerous, and even if Sirius could handle herself, he’d be worried the entire time she was gone. When he didn’t say anything she chuckled. “Look, I’ll give you the exact coordinates I’m going to, okay?”

She transferred them over.

Reyes glanced at them; the spot she was going to was remote, but it wasn’t near any known Outcast or Raider bases, and some of his tension eased. “Just … be careful. A beautiful woman like you all alone could attract all kinds of trouble.”

“You’re not wrong there, I got your attention didn’t I? And that’s caused me no end of trouble.” Sirius joked, but Reyes didn’t bite, and she sighed. “I’m not thrilled about it myself, but I can’t let this chance to make friends with the angara pass me by.” She went up on tiptoe and planted a kiss on his cheek. “I’ll stop in and see you when I get back okay? Just so you can see with your own two eyes that I didn’t get eaten by a fiend.” Sirius gave his hand a final squeeze and walked away, tossing him a grin over her shoulder.

He watched her go, shaking his head at her tenacity. That was Sirius though; when she set her mind to something, she just went ahead and did it, no hesitation and no second guessing herself. Reyes moved off himself; he had calls to make, deals to broker, people to to please, merchandise to bring in, and orders to send out. He couldn’t spend his day worrying about the Pathfinder when she would doubtless be absolutely fine.

When he got to his room in Tartarus, the terminal was already full of messages, some coded and some not, some were for Reyes Vidal, and some were for the Charlatan. He spent the day elbow deep in vidcalls setting up meetings with clients, organising the delivery of goods that had arrived at his drop points on Kadara overnight, and checking in with his Collective agents for updates. It was tedious work, but it kept him busy during the long hours of the day and well into the evening, it was only when the sun had gone down and Sirius still hadn't come to see him that the first niggle of worry began to bother him.

He squished it down and continued working, helped along by a judicial serve of whisky.

The worry didn’t stay buried for long. Like some kind of burrowing worm, it worked it’s way back up again and began to multiply; what if she had been hurt? Attacked? What if she was lying out there in the dark right now, bleeding? The thoughts swarmed like angry bees, buzzing incessantly through his head, beating against his brain, until he couldn't concentrate on anything else, and visions of Sirius, injured or _worse_  danced through his head.

Reyes stood up and began to pace, his glass of whiskey clasped in one hand and a frown etched into his face as he walked the length of the room and then back again, agitation coursing through his body, twisting his guts and sending sharp shocks of adrenaline through him.

His wrist buzzed as his omnitool went off, and he flicked it open with more haste than care, his eyes scanning the message from the bartender below with an eagerness he hadn’t felt in months. The message was short and to the point, as always, and Reyes let out a breath of relief as he read it.

_VISITOR ON THEIR WAY TO YOUR ROOM. ANDROMEDA INITIATIVE UNIFORM. DIDN'T SEE FACE._

Reyes sank down onto the couch with relief, his heart still hammering in his chest and adrenaline making him shaky and weak. He set the whisky glass down on the table and drew in a steadying breath; he didn’t want Sirius to see him looking panicked. She’d know something was wrong and he’d never hear the end of it.

He looked up as the door opened and a dark haired figure entered … and his heart seemed to stop.

 _Not Sirius_ , Reyes registered over the roaring in his ears. _Definitely not Sirius._

Liam Kosta stared back at him for all of a second, and then his eyes swept the room and his shoulders visibly slumped when they saw he was alone.

“I don’t suppose The Pathfinder stepped out to use the bathroom?” Liam asked without hope, his gaze fixed on Reyes with the kind of stare that he usually only got from Sloane. It was a stare that demanded honesty; no jokes, no trouble.

Reyes felt like the room had fallen from beneath his feet; something was wrong.

He shook his head. “No, I last saw her this morning when she went out to check on a signal.” he frowned and added, “She went by herself. Why? What’s happened?”

The other man let out a sharp breath and dragged a hand down his face. “She didn’t come back, that’s what happened.”

“What?” Reyes got to his feet and crossed the room in three strides, barely restraining himself from shaking Liam and demanding more information. Fear, real fear, trickled through his veins, and the lump in the pit of his stomach seemed to deepen.

“She’s missing,” Liam sounded as though the words were being tortured out of him, and Reyes had to put a hand on the wall to steady himself as his worst fears seemed to be confirmed. “We don't know what happened but ... Sirius is gone.”

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**A/N - Le gasp! Plot twist! I'd love to know what you thought since I'm always nervous about going off-canon. I hope you enjoyed it!**


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N - Thank you very much to everyone reading along, and especially to those wonderful people who left me comments on the last chapter! You guys made my day - you really did! Now, fair warning that this chapter contains some pretty dark stuff, so I'm giving you all a warning for blood, gore, and some mentions of torture. But I promise, the chapter ends on a good note! (The art for this chapter was done by Blacksheep33512 on tumblr)_

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Reyes stared at the abandoned Nomad, his gut churning with a sick sensation that left him light headed and chilled despite the heat of the midday sun. Liam and Vetra buzzed around him like overwrought insects, faces tight with concern, eyes pinched with worry as they hurried back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. They tried to make out tracks on the hard rocky ground below.

Unsuccessfully.

Reyes could have told them it was useless.

They would find nothing. Not after two days. Not this high up in the mountains where the wind whipped past at a frantic pace, swirling eddies of sand and debris around them, obliterating any possible trace Sirius might have left.

Reyes tried to make himself move. Tried to make himself find something useful to do, but a curious numbness had set in, and he found himself staring from the Nomad to the crumbling precipice only metres away where the mountain flung itself down to the plateau below.

_Spirits Ledge._

A ghostly place. He’d always hated it. Now he loathed it more, and wondered if Jaal and Peebee would be contacting them soon from the base of the cliffs to report _the worst_. Fleetingly, he thought of Sirius splayed out on the rocks below, her petite body twisted, limbs bent at unnatural angles, tanned skin splatted with blood. The image burned so strongly in his mind that Reyes jerked and shook his head to get rid of it, cursing loudly at his imagination.

 _No._ He refused to believe that she had ended up on the rocks. Not his Bluebird. But the horrible fear refused to leave. Slowly, with feet that felt like lead, he forced himself to walk over to the Nomad, to peer in through the open hatch as Liam walked around it scanning, his face concerned.

Reyes swallowed and tried to find the iron will with which he had scraped out his Empire here on Kadara, such as it was. But it was difficult. The fear made it hard, and fear was something he wasn’t used to dealing with. In fact, he could count on one hand the number of times in his life that he had felt this sick with fear and worry before.

There had been that time in grade school when Charlie Vasquez had threatened to beat him up after he mouthed off at him. Reyes had spent the day worrying himself sick about the impending fight. Not an entirely illogical reaction given that his thirteen year self had been half the size of Charlie _and_ had watched him send another boy to the hospital the week before.

He had talked his way out of the fight, _of course_ , and had talked his way into Charlie’s gang, but it had been a close call, and Reyes had learned a lesson; never openly oppose someone more powerful than you.

Then there was the kind of fear he had felt the day of his final flight exam in flight school. Far too cocky and sure of himself, Reyes had gone out the night before, drunk a little too much, and hooked up with a handsome Alliance marine on shore leave in a kind of pre-celebration. He’d overslept the next morning, been late to his test, and had almost been failed on the spot. Luckily they had allowed him to take the test and he had passed with flying colours, but for several moments he had known that mind-numbing sick feeling of _what if?_

And most recently, _of course_ , he had known that horrifying fear of the unknown on the Nexus. When he watched the leaders make one poor decision after another, when he watched moral fall and people become desperate, and when he had been tasked with piloting a shuttle through the scourge in a futile attempt to find food and water. He’d been faced with a terrifying decision then too; stay with the Initiative and live under Tann’s rule, or leave with the exiles and face the unknown.

“This is strange.” Liam’s voice broke through his thoughts and Reyes’ head jerked up as the young man came to a stop near him. “I can’t get a clear scan with SAM.”

Reyes frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean something is disrupting my connection with SAM. It’s like the QEC signal can’t get through properly.” He closed his omnitool and motioned at the Nomad. “And the electrics in the Nomad are completely fried. I’d say it’s been hit with an EMP.”

A chill slid down Reyes’ spine. “An EMP,” he repeated slowly, his brain icing over as realisation dawned on him.

_There weren’t many people with access to that kind of tech._

Liam’s eyes narrowed. “That’s what I said. Is there a reason you’re making me repeat myself?”

“No, I just-” Reyes cut himself off with a small shake of his head. “That was helpful. I might be able to narrow the search a little, but I need to make some calls and contact some people. ” He didn’t say what was on his mind, didn’t dare voice the awful suspicion that had taken root. “I have to get back to Kadara Port. Call me if you find anything else, anything at all. I’ll do the same.”

_Lies._

Liam nodded, and something like sympathy, or maybe it was fear, passed through his eyes and he caught Reyes’ arm. “Ryder’ll be okay, won’t she? I mean, she’s the Pathfinder. Whatever is going on here, the reason we can’t reach her through SAM, she’ll be okay?”

Reyes hesitated for a moment, tempted to tell him the truth, but swallowed it down. “I’ve never known a more capable woman,” Reyes told him. Liam didn’t look reassured, but it was the best he had.

He turned and strode away without waiting for his reply, already tapping out a message to his senior agents in the Collective. He needed to know the names of every single Collective member who had access to an EMP, because unless the Roekaar had smuggled one down without him knowing, the only group on Kadara that had access to that kind of technology was his _own_ , and the thought was enough to curdle his blood.

The tight bands of anxiety wrapped around his chest tightened just that little bit more, and Reyes quickened his steps as he hurried towards his shuttle. A sickness born of fear, anger and helplessness spreading through his veins even as he fired off the message and waited for the replies.

If one of his people had done this, if they had taken Sirius, _if they had hurt her_ , then he would rain down a furious hell upon them, the like of which they had never known.

Someone would answer for this.

 

* * *

 

  
Two days stretched into Three.

Three very long days during which Reyes felt as though he were going mad as he threw all of his resources and contacts into trying to locate Sirius. He called in every favour he was owed, wheedled information from people he would normally never been seen with, and even considered approaching Sloane under the guise of a concerned lover looking for more information. Nothing seemed important except finding where Sirius had been taken, not even keeping his distance from Sloane.

In the end, he didn’t have to.

Slowly, pieced together from the snippets of information he gathered and from the reports he received back from his people, a picture began to emerge. An ugly picture of life on Kadara and a side of the Collective which he had, up until now, been happy to turn a willing blind eye to; torture, kidnapping, even murder.

 _My fault. This is my fault._ The condemnation beat at that back of his head like pulse.

One of his men, a Collective agent operating deep in the Badlands and ignorant of his ‘ _do not hurt the Pathfinder’_ decree, had mistaken Sirius for one of Sloane’s Outlaws and taken her in for interrogation. _Interrogation meaning torture._ The reasons why were not clear to Reyes, though the Collective representative who had contacted him with the information seemed to think it had something to do with the agent who Sloane had kidnapped the week prior.

Honestly, Reyes didn’t care why she had been taken, only that she was still alive; _which she apparently was._

The Collective representative who had tattled on her friend had been terrified of what _The Charlatan_ would do. She had explained to him that the agent hadn’t believed Sirius was the Pathfinder, he still didn’t, and was holding her at a remote facility at Spirit’s Ledge. She gave up the coordinates readily enough, and warned him that the facility was protected by a dampening field that affected communications, which explained why SAM had lost contact with Sirius.

 _It’s all tech that I acquired_ , Reyes realised as he recalled procuring dampening fields for the Collective months ago. He had intended to use them against Sloane. _This is my fault._

There was no time for gathering backup, no time to consider his options or think about what going there himself would mean. His fear for Sirius’ safety possessed him utterly, and something that was part guilt and part fury drove him on without any consideration for the consequences.

Despite his promise to Liam that he would share information, despite having spent the last day dancing around the Tempest crew as they swarmed Kadara Port and the Badlands trying to find her, he _needed_ to go alone. He couldn’t risk the Tempest crew discovering his connection to the Collective, let alone discovering that he was The Charlatan.

So he went alone.

The flight to Spirit’s Ledge passed in a blur, fear and anger boiling within him as he tried unsuccessfully to contact the agent. But the mountains around Spirits Ledge, and no doubt the dampening field, prevented him from contacting them by radio. _Don’t hurt her. Don’t fucking hurt her._ He thought it over and over again, but he knew it would be too late.

Far too late.

The thought enraged him, fed the demon inside that screamed for blood. His fury flowed through him, burning, biting, and by the time he arrived, his anger had built into a raging hate. He didn’t want to listen to the agent’s excuses when he realised who he was. He didn’t want to give him a chance to explain or plead. He didn’t want to listen to anything he had to say.

 _Maybe she’ll be okay?_ The thought flared briefly inside of him as he reached the coordinates, but he squashed the frail hope.

Sirius wouldn’t be okay.

Numbness spread through him as he landed, and bile rose in his throat as he walked the short distance from his shuttle to the building. It was perched on the top of what Reyes thought was probably a very pretty scenic valley, but he barely registered it through his blinding rage. He could smell blood as he approached, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he drew closer to the door, his gun clenched tightly in his hand.

He opened the door without hesitating, and slipped into the room before the rolling smell of blood and meat could turn his stomach and force him out. Reyes froze. It was like walking into something out of a Goya painting, nightmarish and malevolent. Blood coated the wall in a gleaming gel, glistening like a new coat of paint. Bodies lay piled in a corner of the room, their dismembered limbs like joints of meat from slaughtered beasts.

Reyes took everything in with one sweep of his eyes. The room. The agent. The figure strapped to the chair. _Sirius_. He’d have recognised her anywhere. Rage bloomed and Reyes saw red.

The agent didn’t have time to speak. Didn’t have time to draw a gun. Didn’t even have time to turn around from where he stood looming over Sirius. Reyes’ rage clawed it’s way free in a furious adrenaline burst of hate, and he gritted his teeth; he wanted to rip him limb from limb, but did the next best thing and put a bullet in his head. _Too neat. Too clean._ But he left him lying where he’d fallen.

 _Nothing could make up for this_ , Reyes thought bitterly as his eyes lingered on the blood splattered on the floor around Sirius, the red pools gleaming dully in the light. _Nothing_.

 _Just breathe_ , he told himself as he approached the shivering form huddled in the seat. _One breath in, one breath out. Repeat. Don’t stop. Don’t think too hard about what you’re seeing. Don’t think too hard about what he did to her. She’ll be fine, she’s strong, she has to be._  
  
Reyes gave himself a small shake and forced himself to walk, one foot in front of that other, over the blood slicked floor; his boots crunching and slithering over chunks of meat and bone that should have been attached to people, but no longer were. None of the pieces had come from Sirius, of that he was sure, but he hated to think who they had come from; he had never authorised this kind of torture and never would have.

The representative who had called the information in would have known what was happening here; _she_ would have to be dealt with.  
  
The coppery scent of blood was suffocating, cloying, and Reyes swallowed thickly as the smell seemed to creep over his tongue. He’d been around blood and death before, more times than he cared to admit, but this was different. This time it was someone he cared about who was hurt, it was her blood he could smell, and it was, unavoidably, his fault that she had ended up like this. Guilt curled within him, fighting for a place alongside the fear and anger.  
  
He kept moving, though each step closer fueled the pain and rage he felt. Sirius sat slumped in the chair that the agent, _one of his own men_ , had strapped her to. Her clothing ripped, bloodied, and torn, and her long hair matted with dried blood and dirt. He didn’t want to see what the agent had done to her, was almost frightened to see her injuries, but he made himself look as he drew alongside her.  
  
“Siri?” He spoke softly and dropped to a crouch, too scared to touch her, too frightened in case he made things worse. “Sirius?”  
  
His stomach knotted as he took in her bloodied form; there were deep cuts and lacerations up one arm in a criss-cross pattern that had been made by a knife. Layers of skin were gone in small sections. Reyes winced as he realised they’d been peeled off her; the skin beneath left raw, bloody and exposed. Sirius had also worked deep, bloody grooves into her wrists from where she had been struggling to break free from her bonds.

_My fault._

He gritted his teeth, trying hard not to think of how scared she had been or how much pain she had suffered. Right now he had to get her out of this nightmare. He cut the bonds that were keeping her secured and caught her as she slumped sideways into his arms, a small mewl of pain escaping her.  
  
“Shit,” he cursed as he saw the gleam of white bone sticking through the flesh of her other wrist, the flesh around it a sickly reddish purple colour.  
  
_Compound fracture. Not good._ His chest tight with panic, Reyes settled her into his arms more securely, and pushed her hair back from her face, anxiously scanning her features.  
  
He froze.  
  
She was filthy, covered in dirt and blood, with bruises decorating one side of her face in a horrifying mask. But it wasn’t that which had made him pause, it was the clean spots. Two twin streaks of pale skin were visible down her face, clean spots where her tears had fallen as she’d cried. Reyes stared at her, trembling as his guilt and anger broke over him like desperate swimmers reaching the surface of a pool. He dragged in a strangled breath.  
  
She’d been crying.  
  
“Siri?” He tried again, his voice cracking as he struggled to keep his fear in check when she failed to respond. “Come on, Bluebird-”  
  
Sirius moved abruptly. She whimpered faintly and pushed against him, her hand feeble against his chest as she struggled to get away from the perceived danger; from him. Reyes shushed her as quietly as he could and gathered her close, reassuring her quietly in English and then in Spanish as words failed him. He told her that everything would be alright, that she was safe now, that she would be fine.  
  
Slowly, her eyes opened, and her luminous gaze fixed on his; glowing biotic eyes focusing on him with a look that was both relieved and incredulous. She tried to speak and failed, though the word she mouthed looked suspiciously like his name. Reyes pressed gentle kisses down on her face and lips, and held her as tightly and carefully as he dared.

Her hand ceased pushing against him and curled into the fabric of his shirt, pulling him close as she drew in a sobbing breath and burrowed against him _and cried_ . Reyes buried his face in her hair, oblivious to the dirt and blood he was getting over himself as tears burned his own eyes. _This was his fault._ If he had kept a tighter reign on his people, paid more attention to what they had been doing or been more careful to ensure that his orders flowed out through the ranks more carefully, this never would have happened.

 

 

 

Guilt writhed in Reyes’ stomach like a bag of snakes, but was almost swallowed by the simmering anger still boiling away for his own people. He felt torn between the possessive desire to take care of Sirius, to make sure she was safe and protected, and a violently dangerous need to slit the throats of everyone who had played a part in her ending up like this. Reyes closed his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth, his anger spearing inwards as some small internal voice reminded him that he led the the Collective and it was one of his own people who had done this.  
  
If Sirius ever found out he was the Charlatan … .

Reyes eyes snapped open and a chill shot through his bones. If she ever found out that one of his men had done this, if she got it into his head that he condoned this kind of behaviour, or thought that he had played any part in what had happened to her, then he would lose her. She would vanish from his life forever. He knew it as surely as he knew the sun would rise tomorrow.  
  
Convulsively, Reyes’ arms tightened around her. Sirius couldn’t find out that he was the Charlatan. At least, not yet. Eventually he would tell her who he was, but that time was not now. Not when she was so fragile and when his operation had just proved itself to just every bit as violent as Sloane’s could be.  If it meant more lies between them so be it; that was a choice he was willing to make.  
  
He wouldn’t lose Sirius, not because of this.

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_A/N - I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It was pretty tough to write, but I'm really proud of it so I'd love to know what you thought._


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N - Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! You guys made me laugh, cry, and smile with your comments. And as last week was an especially bad one for me, you made it much brighter! Thank you so much. Apologies that this chapter took so much longer than I expected, I had to rewrite it twice before I was happy with it. I hope you guys like it too. Trigger warning for some discussion of torture, and a thank you to Tai-Kee who did the amazing art for this chapter._

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The low hum of the Tempest's engines were unfamiliar to Reyes, though they brought up a longing within him; a bittersweet yearning for better times on the Nexus when the future had seemed to bright and he had believed in Jien Garson's vision. Before the mutiny had torn the vision apart. Before he had realised just how full of shit Tann was. Before he had become a "sympathiser" and left with Sloane and her outcasts.

A long time ago.

He felt like a different man to the one who had left the Nexus, and he supposed, he was.

He paced back and forth in Sirius' room on the Tempest, feeling out of place and lost in the huge space. Everything was clean. Neat. In it's place. He'd explored the place as best he could without invading her privacy, and learned more about Sirius in few hours than he had in the weeks he had known her.

She collected crystals and model ships, enjoyed whiskey almost as much as he did, and for a woman who spoke so little about her family, she kept a lot of pictures of them. It showed a sweetness and softness to her that he hadn't had opportunity to see on Kadara, and he'd studied her belongings and photos with curiosity. Her father, the late Alec Ryder, he knew from Nexus propaganda. He wore the same serious frown that his daughter often did. Her mother had a gentle look about her, and Reyes could see the same bone structure in Sirius' face.

Her twin, Orion, shared Sirius' colouring, but unlike his petite biotic sister, he appeared tall and muscular. Handsome, Reyes thought, though his face was softer, his eyes kinder. He looked less likely to fight a war, or take Sloane on, and more likely to negotiate peace. There was no shining biotic light in his gaze either, and his eyes were a hazel colour similar to Reyes' own.

The glimpse into her life made him feel guilty about how carefully he had hidden so many aspects of his own from her, and as he paced back and forth across the room, Reyes renewed his promise to reveal everything to her.

A noise from the bed claimed his attention, and he ceased his pacing and crossed the cabin in three quick strides. Sirius lay curled up on her bed, recovering from her surgery; a tiny ball of humanity under the blankets. His hands itched to hold her, and he flexed them into fists as he carefully lowered himself to the edge of the mattress, trying not to disturb her, but half-hoping he would.

The previous few hours had been nightmarish, and weren't something he wished to experience again. The extraction from Kadara and the accusations from the Tempest team when they discovered he had gone off without them had been bad, but the waiting around while Sirius was taken into surgery for her wrist had been the worst. Hours of pacing and waiting. Of wondering if he should have seen this coming, if there was something he could have done to prevent this ... if Sirius would forgive him when he told her the truth.

Thankfully, she was fine, or she would be.

_Physically_ at least.

Reyes flinched as she whimpered and clutched the pillow in her arms tighter, her eyes scrunching as she bit her lower lip and let out a frightened moan. She'd been dreaming off and on since Lexi brought her back to her room with instructions for him to administer a sedative and ensure she got some sleep. Though Reyes was beginning to wonder how wise those instructions had been. He was no doctor, but Sirius didn't appear to be resting much at all.

He eased himself across the bed and gently smoothed her hair back from her brow, tucking the silken locks behind one ear. He'd touched her in the same way more times than he could count, a million loving touches to help ease her into the waking world, but this time Sirius froze under his touch. She went rigid and woke suddenly, and with a sound of fear she drew back from him, her eyes flying open and darting sightless around the room as she gaped in horror.

"No, no, no!" she begged, her voice hoarse. "Please just let me go!"

_Dreaming. She was still dreaming._ Reyes caught her hand and placed himself in her line of vision as best he could. He wanted to take her in his arms and pull her close, but the terror in her eyes was plain to see, and it didn't seem a good idea to crowd her.

"It's okay, Siri, it's okay," he told her, keeping his voice warm and reassuring. "You're safe. You're on the Tempest.

She blinked and focused on him, her breathing fast and shallow, then all at once her eyes filled with tears, she clutched his hand tightly and seemed to collapse in on herself. A pang of guilt speared through Reyes, though for waking her and causing this, or for being the cause of her pain, he wasn't sure, but he crawled across the bed and gathered her close.

"Shhh, Bluebird, I have you. It's okay." He pressed kisses across her face and wrapped his arms around her. "You're safe now."

Sirius burrowed against him and cried, the tears rolling down her cheeks as she cradled her injured arm to her chest. She wrapped her good arm around him so tightly that Reyes winced as her nails bit into his neck. Neither of them said anything as he held her, softly, carefully, trying to ignore that awful feeling of guilt and anger churning in his stomach.

Now wasn't the time for rage; she needed healing.

Long minutes passed, maybe hours, time seemed to slip away and become unimportant as they lay together in her bed. Reyes ran gentle hands up and down her body, trying to be careful in case he hurt her. He stroked her hair and pressed gentle kisses on the top of her head. Sirius said nothing as she lay against him, head on his chest, ear over his heart, though she cried off and on, slow silent tears that trickled down her cheeks and dampened his shirt.

Those tears hurt Reyes far more than any knife or gun ever could.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked after some time, unsure if it was the thing to do or not, not even sure if he wanted to hear about it, but needing to make the offer in case she did.

Sirius sat up with a sigh and wiped her face. She pulled the blanket from the bed and wrapped it around herself, then sat cross legged in front of him with her broken arm in her lap. For a long time she didn't say anything, she chewed on her lip, shrugged and picked at the rumpled sheets under her, looking defeated and unsure.

Reyes took her hand. "We can talk about anything you like," he offered.

She shrugged again and looked up at him quickly, then away.

"How did you find me?" Her voice was less hoarse than it hard been, but she spoke hesitantly, and didn't meet his eyes.

He ran his thumb over the back of her knuckles and squeezed her hand softly. "Your friends looked for you using all the legal channels. I used less scrupulous methods-" she made a face, and Reyes grinned despite the topic of their conversation. "It was nothing like that. I used my connections to track down information on who had taken you. It was actually a member of The Collective who came through with the information."

Sirius froze at the mention of The Collective and the smile slipped from Reyes' face.

"The Charlatan didn't authorize what happened to you." The words slipped out before he could think better of it, and once he started talking he couldn't stop. "The agent who took you acted alone, he went rogue. The Collective gave me all the information they could and I went in to get you-"

She squeezed his hand so hard that Reyes finally stopped talking and looked at Sirius properly. Her eyes were wide and looked into his face as though searching for something. "What did it cost you?" she asked finally. "The Collective wouldn't have just given you all that information."

Reyes shrugged. "I used some valuable contacts and favors, but that's all. The Charlatan seemed to be more concerned with stopping his agent and getting you safe-"

"I bet."

_Bitterness_. It rippled through her tone in a subtle undercurrent, and he swallowed hard. He'd known she would be angry with The Collective for what had been done to her, expected it actually, but it still hurt. He needed to get Sirius back on side. His side.

"It's true," this time it was him who squeezed her hand, willing her to believe him, "The Collective had no idea what had happened to you until one of their agents discovered the truth and talked."

Sirius drew in a shaky breath and nodded. "I just … I don't want you owing them anything, Reyes. That man who had me was dangerous."

"He was a monster." Reyes would have spat on the ground if they'd been on Kadara, but he restrained himself since they were in her cabin. "What he did to you was beyond monstrous. I'd kill him again if I could." He couldn't hide the fury in his voice, knew it coloured his eyes and crept over his face.

"I'm glad you killed him," she whispered the words with a sudden vehemence that surprised him. "I don't remember much from when you rescued me, but I remember that gunshot. At the time … ." She drifted off and her anger retreated as something less sure and more fearful replaced it. "He'd been talking about killing me not long before. I thought it was finally over, that he'd shot me," her voice rose a few octaves and she swallowed. "But I couldn't even care anymore. I thought dying would be better. But then you were there and-"

Reyes couldn't listen anymore. He couldn't. He didn't want to listen about how she had been ready to die rather than take more torture, or how she'd thought him killing his agent had been the agent killing her. He scooped Sirius close and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly against him, muffling her words as she trembled and shook.

That she had been pushed to that point made the fury in him burn brighter, and his fingers flexed on her body as he wished he could wrap them around that agent's scrawny neck and squeeze until they choked the life from him.

_Sirius was his woman. He'd told his representatives to take care of her. If they'd passed the message on. If they'd listened to him …_ He shut the line of thought down; now wasn't the time.

Her trembling continued, but she didn't dissolve as she had earlier, there was steel in her backbone now; some of her strength was back, even if parts of her were broken. Sirius rested her head against him and wrapped her undamaged arm around him briefly, then she pulled back.

"I'll be okay," she said quietly, her eyes flickering softly in the dim light. "I'm glad you rescued me." A brief smile crossed her lips. "My hero, huh?"

Reyes shook his head and relaxed slightly. "Definitely not a hero, at least not according to your friends."

Sirius smiled again. "Liam called you reckless."

"You heard that?"

"He was shouting at you pretty loudly. Loudly enough that I could hear everything from inside medbay." She reached out and touched his chest, catching hold of his jacket and tugging him closer. "Liam isn't wrong, you know. It was reckless of you to have gone there alone, Reyes. You didn't know what kind of weapons The Collective had-"

_Oh, if only she knew._

Reyes shook his head. "I've had some combat training, and a hell of a lot of combat experience since leaving the Nexus. Besides, there wasn't any time. The Charlatan made it clear that he wanted his agent executed and you taken to safety. I couldn't get hold of your crew, so I went alone."

Another lie, several lies really, but as far as lies went, he'd told worse.

Sirius sighed and nodded. "I'm glad you got me out, but if he'd hurt you too-"

"He didn't." He caught her injured arm and gently ran his fingers along it. "Now, do you want to talk about what happened? How he got you? What he did?"

_Was he pushing too hard?_ He needed details to make an example of his agent, and he wanted to make sure Sirius was okay. The two needs were tangled within him, urgently demanding he meet them. But he needed information to do that, and a furious kind of curiosity stirred within him, demanding to know what had been done to push Sirius to breaking point.

"I told Lexi some of it," she said reluctantly. "He used an EMP to take out the Nomad, and it affected my biotic implant and omni-tool. I was disorientated and didn't realise what was happening. He restrained me and took me back to his base and … ." Sirius trailed off and shrugged.

"And?" Reyes prompted, glancing down at her arm.

Her broken wrist was still braced, and would remain in it's brace until the bone and skin weaves holding it together had fused properly with her body. The other cuts and lacerations were healing well, medigel had helped with that, but the scars were angry and red, and the criss-cross checkerboard pattern that the agent had left on her arm was hard to miss. The fool had cut a grid-like pattern into her arm and had skinned alternate squares.

The sight of it turned Reyes' stomach, brought that rage bubbling to the surface when he needed to stay calm.

She shook her head, her hands clenching into fists. "I don't … I don't know if I can talk about it. Not properly."

"Maybe it will help?"

"Help?" Something about what he'd said seemed to offend her, and she glared at him, her eyes sparking furiously as she jabbed a finger into his chest. "He tied me up and he hurt me. No matter what i said, no matter what I did, he just kept hurting me. He cut me, he hit me, over and over, and the one time I almost got free he broke my wrist and started skinning my arm." She sobbed and leaned forward, so close he could see tears welling in her eyes. "He made me watch Reyes. _He made me watch as he peeled my skin off._ " Her voice rose in pitch, almost hysterical. "He made me listen too. While he hurt other people. Cut bits off them. Killed them. Said I'd be next if I didn't talk-"

_Shit. Shit shit shit._ He hadn't meant to upset her.

"I'm sorry." Reyes shushed Sirius with a kiss and folded himself around her, loathing himself for asking her to relive it, hating the agent more for doing it. "I thought it might help you to talk about it."

She shook her head against him. "It doesn't. I don't want to remember. I just want to forget it. All of it. Please don't ask me again."

"I won't. I'm sorry." He kissed her once more, then pressed his forehead to hers in their special gesture. "Shit. I'm so sorry, Siri. I'm so sorry that i didn't find you sooner. You should never have been taken and hurt."

Sirius nodded but didn't reply as she curled up in his lap, those damned silent tears slipping from her eyes again as she cradled her arm against her chest. Shit. He'd done this, pushed her until she cracked again. Reyes scrambled desperately for a topic to talk about and snatched up the first thing that came to his head.

"Your doctor says that you need to take some time off before you can return to your duties, I was thinking, when you're feeling better, perhaps I could show you my cabin in the badlands." He smoothed a hand through her hair. "Just you and me, Bluebird?"

For a moment the thought occurred to him that perhaps she wouldn't want to return to Kadara after what had happened to her, that perhaps he had made another error and this had been the wrong thing to say to her yet again, but then Sirius nodded against him.

"I'd … I'd like that. I don't know if I could get away for long, but it would be nice to go some place quiet." She looked up at him and let out a small breath. He could see her gathering her courage to say something, but her next words still took him by surprise. "I'm sorry I got so upset before-"

_She was sorry?!_

"Don't be. I was an asshole to ask." He traced the curve of her jaw and gave her an apologetic smile. "I'll get my cabin ready, you just let me know when you want to go. For now, I should let your friends know you're awake and let you get some rest."

Sirius blinked and half sat up. "Wait. You're leaving?"

"For now." He straightened and stood up beside the bed as she frowned at him. "I have some urgent business on Kadara which I have to attend to-"

"Wait!" She grabbed his wrist. "Stay."

Reyes hesitated. "What?"

Her eyes fastened on his. "Stay with me tonight. Whatever you have to do on Kadara can't be that important, and I don't want to be alone. Please, Reyes. You make me feel safe." Her fingers tightened on his arm and her eyes turned anguished. "Please."

Reyes swallowed hard, torn between the need to hunt down the people in his organisation that had allowed her to be hurt, and his more personal desire to stay with Sirius. In the end, it wasn't a hard choice; he worked through agents and could work through them from up here. He'd rather work from Kadara with his terminals and information around him, but Sirius needed him, and he had most of what he needed on his omnitool.

He smiled, making up his mind. "Of course. Whatever my lady wishes."

"Thank you." Her relief was palpable, and guilt surged through him. He'd had half a dozen opportunities to tell her the truth about The Collective and his role as The Charlatan, and instead he'd simply dug himself into a deeper hole.

_She was too upset,_ he argued with the guilty voice inside of him, _she wouldn't have understood. I'll tell her eventually, but not tonight. Not now._

Reyes stepped back, forcing the guilt down as he opened his omni-tool. "I just need to send a few messages first. The business on Kadara I have is urgent, and if I'm going to put it off until tomorrow, people need to be told."

Sirius nodded and Reyes excused himself, stepping outside her room to find a quiet place to send the encrypted messages. He hoped her AI wouldn't be able to intercept and read them. It probably could but he doubted his messaged would make much sense anyway. They were encoded and vague, and only his Representatives would understand the content.

He ran through the message he'd already drafted giving his Collective Representatives 24 hours to straighten the members out before consequences would be applied, and when he was satisfied, he sent it off with a request for an immediate acknowledgement and action. When he returned to Kadara Tomorrow he'd check in and follow up with all of the replies.

Clearly he had been too soft on his members. He hadn't wanted to want to rule with an iron fist as Sloane had; to be the same tyrannical ruler that had driven them to him in the first place. But he needed to bring his people under control, to ensure that what happened to Sirius never happened again.

He stood up before the familiar anger could work it's way through him, and made his way back to her cabin. The door whispered shut behind him, closing him in with her as he dimmed the lights, padded back to the bed, and shrugged out of his jacket. He placed them with his boots and holster, and then slid onto the bed with her.

"You know, a little part of me was scared that you weren't coming back." Sirius said quietly as she nestled up against him.

Reyes shifted until he was comfortable and then wrapped one arm around her waist, half-spooning against her. "I've become a lot of things since leaving the Nexus, not all of them good, but I'm still a man of my word." He heard her snort as though she didn't believe him, and he smiled in the darkness. "Well, maybe that's a slight overstatement, but I'll never break my word to you."

"Promise?"

"Cross my heart." He pressed a kiss on the side of her neck and was surprised when she turned her face and kissed him back, a small hesitant kiss, but an affectionate gesture all the same. It sent flutters through his stomach, and he had to swallow down a roll of lust that swelled through him. "Good night, Bluebird," he told her quietly as she settled herself firmly in his arms.

She drew in a deep breath and rested her head on his shoulder. "'night."

He listened to her breathing become deep and even as she slipped off to sleep, his eyes gleaming in the darkness as sleep eluded him and his old pal guilt found him instead. Sirius needed to know the truth about him, and sooner rather than later. Nothing good would come of keeping her in the dark like this and stringing her along. His feelings for her were too intense for him to risk losing her over this.

And that was exactly what would happen if she ever found out he was lying to her.

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_A/N - I hope you guys liked this chapter. The next one will be a little bit romantic as Reyes whisks Sirius away for some one on one healing time. But ... will he tell her the truth? Or is the clock going to hit noon before he gets the chance? I'd love to know what you thought of this chapter, so feel free to drop me a revie_ w.


	6. Chapter 6

_ A/N - Many thank yous to the people reading along and especially to those people who left me comments! You made my day - seriously! *hugs* Also, for those interested, I started a new Reyes x Ryder fic called 'Gonna Get Close To You', it's a lot darker than this one and will only be short, but it'll be smutty and fun! :) As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter! The art is by ethanscribbles on tumblr. _

* * *

 

Sirius pushed a tangle of black locks out of her face as the wind whipped up, wild and with a surprisingly cold bite to it. Fingers of cool air licked along her skin, flicked her hair this way and that, and pushed against her body with gentle insistence as she moved closer to the edge of the ravine. She held her breath as she reached the ledge and peered over. Her toes knocked small rocks and pebbles into the abyss, and she watched as they bounced their way down hundreds of metres, even more, and presumably hit the ground below.

“Careful, Bluebird. It’s even further than it looks and you don’t have wings,” Reyes sounded half-amused and half-concerned as he watched her.

She glanced up and managed a smile that didn’t feel too forced. “Don’t worry, I’m not planning to hurl myself over if that’s what you’re worried about.” Sirius stepped back and joined him at a more sensible distance from the terrifying drop. “I just like the adrenaline rush of life on the edge.”

He snorted. “A woman after my own heart.”

“Of course.” Sirius bumped her hip against his gently.

The truth was that looking out over the edge made her feel alive, and it distracted her from the truth:  _ she hurt. _

_ Everything hurt. _

Her arm hurt. Her scars itched. Her bones ached. And the more she thought about the pain, the more she thought about what happened. The more she thought about what happened, the more her flesh wanted to crawl from her bones, and the more she wanted to shrink away and vanish from her life. Physically her wounds were healing nicely, but mentally, well, Lexi said it would take time.

There wasn’t any medigel or boneweaves for the kind of mental trauma she’d been through.

Getting away from everything, from the Tempest and the well meaning crew who kept crowding her, had been a blessing. She loved them all, but their constant bedside visits had been stifling. Besides which …  _ she was fine _ . She was. A bit bruised and a little worse for wear after what had happened maybe, but she was still the Pathfinder and she wasn’t about to let one bad experience ruin her job.

Though, her view on the Collective had soured considerably. 

Sirius frowned to herself. Sloane was dangerous; the woman was a criminal, a drug lord, and a thug, but The Outlaws had never hurt her. They’d threatened her, of course, but who hadn’t? The Collective were a different story. They talked pretty and the word around Kadara about them had been mostly positive … but the man who had taken her … he’d been a monster.

A genuine monster.

She couldn’t hold back a shudder of revulsion, and Reyes glanced at her in concern. As much as she wanted to believe this was an isolated act of violence, the man who had taken her had been methodical and practiced. He’d been used to torturing people, to hurting them. He had been certain that he could hurt her and get away with it.

Sirius drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes, counting slowly to ten as iron bands of panic began to tighten around her chest as she remembered being locked in that room.  _ The way he’d toyed with her. Played with her. Cut her. Flayed her. Snapped her wrist in such a casual way and laughed when she cried … _

“Don’t think about it,” Reyes said gruffly. He caught her hands and Sirius opened eyes she hadn’t been aware she’d closed. His gaze was hard, glittering with a fury which terrified and warmed her at the same time. He’d protect her. No matter what, Reyes would protect her. “I don’t want any of the bad stuff to follow us here, okay?”

She nodded. “I’ll try.”

Reyes’ retreat in the badlands was both more and less than she had expected. She’d known it had great views of Kadara, and would likely be someplace high, but she hadn’t expected it to be up the very top of the ranges that towered over the badlands like the fleshless backbone of a dead creature. As far as she could tell, the only way in or out of his retreat was via shuttle, which made it an excellent place to go if you wanted to get away from people.

Right now, they felt like the only two people in the world, and that was exactly what she needed.

Lexi, in her doctorly wisdom, had forced her to stay on the Tempest for a week before she allowed he to go to Kadara, and it had almost driven her mad. The days had stretched on forever, and the nights had seemed even longer, not least because she was plagued by nightmares. Every time she closed her eyes she saw that room, the Collective agent, the knife, his fists, heard his laughter, smelled his breath.

And woke screaming.

She shivered, and Reyes slung an arm about her waist. Sirius sighed and relaxed against him, soaking in his strength and warmth. The sun finally dipped below the horizon and the sunset burned with a million shades of pink, orange, and magenta. The colours rippled across the sky, dancing in the clouds, and the sight of them seemed to steal the breath from her body. Reyes had promised her a sunset that she would never forget, and he’d delivered yet again.

“See?” he purred, his lips brushing her ear. “Kadara has more magic than most people realise.” His fingers lingered on her hips.

Sirius nodded and leaned close, letting him take most of her weight as they watched the colours burn the sky. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s beautiful.”

“Almost as beautiful as you.”

“Smooth, Vidal.” She rolled her eyes, but smiled, a genuine smile this time, and his rich laugh felt good as his chest rumbled against her back.

Reyes hugged her close, his arms tight and firm. “It’s good to see you smiling again.”

“It’s good to smile.” She turned in his arms, her gaze searching his as she looked up into his eyes. “Thank you for bringing me here. For trusting me enough to show me.”

He lifted a gloved hand and traced her jaw, his touch gentle. He followed the curve of one cheek and tucked her hair behind her ear, and a flash of something passed through his eyes, something dark and troubled. It vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and she wondered what it meant. What she’d said that had brought that shadow to his eyes.

Then he smiled again. “I’ve never brought anyone here before.”

Sirius doubted that, but she didn’t say as much out loud. 

“So I’m special, huh?” She went up on tiptoe and linked her arms around his neck, the brilliant sunset fading fading behind her. “Am I one of a kind? Unique? Kind of a big deal-”

“Shut up, Pathfinder.” Reyes laughingly silenced her with a kiss, his lips teasing hers apart as his tongue stroked alongside hers. 

He shuffled them around so that she was pressed against the rock wall and deepened the kiss. Sirius nipped at his lower lip and felt some of the tension leave her body when the feel of his arms around her, pinning her to the wall, made her feel secure and turned on rather than terrified. She’d been worried that after being tied up and hurt, something in her might have changed.

But nothing had changed. Nothing at all.

“Reyes,” she sighed his name as he tore his mouth from hers and kissed his way down her throat.

He broke away reluctantly and pressed his mouth to hers once more, his kiss bruising, as though he were trying to imprint something of himself on her. “Come on,” he said huskily, “if I keep kissing you like this I’ll end up fucking you, and I’m trying to be good.”

“I wouldn’t complain,” Sirius told him as he stepped back and caught hold of her hand.

He tossed her a frustrated look over his shoulder. “ _ Now _ she’s tells me.”

She laughed again, and Reyes smiled, as though her laugh was what he’d truly wished to hear. Despite their playful banter, the evening was spent quietly. Reyes’ cabin was a modest affair; a single bedroom prefab with a bathroom and rainwater tank attached. He cooked for her over a small gas-powered stove, regaling her with stories of close calls he’d had as a smuggler, and of flying for the Nexus as a pilot before he’d decided to take his services elsewhere.

When the meal was finished he insisted they take it outside and eat under the stars, claiming that his tiny prefab could hardly compete with the beauty of the night sky. Sirius couldn’t exactly argue, and she helped him carry their meals outside along with a blanket to sit on. Reyes kept close to her the entire time, casually finding any excuse to touch her, brush up against her, and the more their eyes met, the more the warm glow inside of her built.

Reyes seemed to instinctively know how to make her feel good, how to make her feel like she was the only person in the world he cared about, and she couldn’t help but reciprocate. As they settled down under the stars to eat their meals, some kind of aromatic spiced rice with chunks of meat, Sirius felt as though her heart would burst from all she felt.

“This is good,” she told him as she speared a chunk of meat and ate it.

Reyes laughed. “Just don’t ask what kind of meat it is.”

“Noted, but it’s good all the same. You’re a great cook.”

“Thank you.” He looked pleased. “One good thing about being a smuggler is having access to all of the spices that come through Kadara port, and believe it or not the angaran’s have quite the spice trade going. They don’t have any use for it themselves, but once they worked out that we aliens enjoy spices they started importing them through Kadara.”

She finished off her dish and flopped to the ground, her belly full of warm food, and a feeling of relaxation seeping through her. To her surprise Reyes set his plate aside and flopped down as well, lying so that their heads rested on each others shoulders as they looked up at the sky above. The black hole swirled hungrily, dwarfing everything else in the sky, and the stars glimmered around it in brilliant and alien constellations.

“I can’t get used to the sky here,” Sirius confessed quietly. “Back home I knew all the stars; their shapes, and the planets. But here, everything is new. It’s alien.”

Reyes grunted and shook his head. “It’s not so bad, and once you know the names of the constellations they don’t seem so alien.”

“And I suppose you know their names?” Sirius glanced sideways at him, but he watched the sky with distant eyes.

“Some.” He nodded at the vast ring of light that circled the black hole above them. “Keema told me a few, but I learned most after I left the Nexus to help with navigation. The first I learned is  _ Haranj _ , the angaran name for the black hole. It mean’s  _ The Fisher’s Lure _ , though God knows why.” Reye’s snorted, then he pointed at a group of stars near the horizon. “That group there is the  _ Sha’lokaar _ , the   _ Brave Warriors _ . That small sparkly cluster is the  _ Huranje _ , the  _ Old Tree _ -”

“The old tree? It looks more like a ...” Sirius almost giggled, but Reyes shushed her.

“Don’t laugh, the angaran take their constellations very seriously. They almost lost the records of their names when the Kett attacked.” He sounded stern.

“Sorry.” She cleared her throat and refocused herself. “What’s that one there?” Sirius pointed to an especially bright constellation of stars that seemed to linger close to the mouth of the black hole.  
  
Reyes groaned as though hoping she wouldn’t ask. “You’re going to laugh,” he grumbled.  
  
“What? Why would I laugh?” She grinned as he covered his face with his hands and shook his head. “Oh, come on! Now I _have_ to know.”  
  
It took some prodding, but he finally turned to face her and peeked from between his fingers, his hazel eyes pained. “Because ... _shit_. Because, they’re called _Gosan Yav Shena_. It means _Clinging to the Mouth_.”  
  
Sirius sniggered before she could stop herself. “ _Clinging to the Mouth_ , huh? I think I like those stars.” She leaned forward and kissed him softly to take the sting out of her laughter. “That's my kind of constellation.”  
  
He looked like he didn’t believe her. “They're called that because they cling to the mouth of _Haranj-_ ”  
  
“Uh-huh,” she cut him off and smirked. “I get the picture, and I can’t blame those stars one little bit. I find myself _Gosan Yav Shena_ rather a lot these days too.”

A breeze ruffled Reyes’ hair and he returned her smirk. “I’m rather glad you do, Bluebird.” His voice dropped to a husky purr and he reached over to trace her lower lip. “Though I’m going to be hearing about this for a long time, aren’t I?”

Sirius caught his thumb in her mouth and playfully bit down. “Mmmhmmm.” She drew the digit deeper into her mouth and sucked gently, swirling her tongue around it. Reyes groaned and with a grin she released his thumb and placed a kiss on the tip. “If it’s any consolation, I’m  _ very  _ willing to make it up to you in several creative ways,  _ Shena _ .”

“ _ Reyes _ ,” he corrected her firmly, his eyes darkening with lust. He cupped her chin and drew her to him.  “And how am I supposed to resist  _ that _ , huh?”

Her smirk widened and excitement zipped through her. “Well,” she murmured softly, “to be perfectly honest, baby, you’re  _ not _ .”

“Damn,” Reyes laughed and flopped back down beside her, his laugh throaty and appreciative. “You’re good. I have a present for you, you know-”

“Later. Right now, I have a present for you.” Sirius grinned and dragged a finger down her body, between her breasts and all the way to the waistband of her pants. “ _ Me _ .”

Reyes’ teeth gleamed in a wolfish smile and his eyes followed the path that her finger had taken before his gaze returned to hers. “Well now, it would be  _ ungentlemanly  _ of me not to accept your gift, Bluebird.”

“And you're always a gentleman, right?”

His smile widened. “Of course.”

She shrugged off her jacket and scarf and tossed them to the side, then crawled across him as he reclined on the blanket, watching her with gleaming eyes that reflected the stars. He grunted as she settled her weight on him, his hands resting lightly on her waist as he slid his fingers under her shirt. She took her time running her fingers over Reyes chest, tracing the buckles and straps of his jacket and light armour, making a game of unstrapping them slowly.

At her prompting, he lifted his upper body off the ground slightly and helped her take off his jacket, than lay back down, perfectly happy to let her have control. She unzipped his armour slowly, peeling it back so she could run greedy fingers over the bronzed skin beneath. 

_ Reyes did have the most wonderful body _ , she mused as she lightly dragged her fingernails over his chest,  _ lithely muscled and beautifully toned _ . A body that reflected hard work, rather than hours spent in the gym.

Sirius pulled her shirt off, but left her black lace bra on. Reyes, she’d noticed, had a thing for lingerie, and she’d worn her nicest set for him tonight. His hands crept up her sides, softly stroking the outline of the black lace, and his thumbs brushed against her nipples which were just visible through the cups. She shivered and leaned down to kiss him, a feather light press of her lips on his as she peeled his shirt the rest of the way off and tugged it down his arms.

Their boots and pants went next, and she kissed and nuzzled the hollows of Reyes’ hips as she unbuckled his belt and traced the shape of his arousal through his trousers. The feel of him beneath the fabric, already hard, sent a ripple of excitement through her, and she planted kisses along his length as she worked his pants down his slim hips. Reyes groaned and muttered in Spanish, his voice hoarse as he shuddered against her lips.

His need fed hers, and excitement snaked through her, fizzing in her bloodstream like sherbert as he kissed every inch of her body, trembling hands freeing her of the black lace lingerie. Finally naked, they came together like two pieces of a puzzle, and Sirius planted her hands either side of his face and kissed him. She giggled as Reyes wrapped his arms around her, pulling her snugly against him as he dipped his tongue into her mouth and ground his hips against hers.   
  
“You’re so fucking sweet,” he muttered against her lips. “Better than dessert.” He rolled her so that she was trapped under him and then kissed a blazing trail down the side of her neck, nipping lightly at her skin. “Better than hot chocolate, or ice cream, or even marshmallows.”

She groaned as his tongue flicked out in a wet line across her collarbone, and he nibbled his way lower, his hands gripping her ass. Reyes flicked his eyes up to meet her gaze as he settled himself in the cradle of her hips, his erection pressing against her stomach as he drew the tip of one breast into his mouth. He swirled his tongue around her nipple, his teeth lightly grazing the sensitive tip as she gasped and writhed, heat pooling in her belly.

He focused on one breast and then the other, biting with just enough pressure to make her gasp and whimper, and then kissing and licking until she was crying out for more. He chuckled as he moved even lower, his mouth hot against her her skin as he kissed along her tummy and then her inner thighs. His breath was warm, and he hooked her legs over her shoulders as he moved between her legs, nuzzling and mouthing at her sex.

“Fuck, Reyes!” Sirius clung to his shoulders, her nails digging in hard enough to leave little half-moon indents as he licked her in one long stroke, his tongue delving between her folds. He thrust his tongue deep inside of her, and then licked her with small flicks of his tongue; alternating between fast and slow movements. 

She swore again, louder as he sucked on her clit, his tongue soft and hot as it swirled around the sensitive bundle of nerves. He slipped two fingers inside of her, moving them in and out in time to his licks. Warmth and tension began to build, filling her up with a kind of electricity that buzzed and crackled; making her blood sing.

She panted, her back arching he crooked his fingers, finding that sweet spot that made her see stars. The pleasure raced through her in a brilliant line of heat, and Sirius curled her toes and cried out in a wordless gasp, her muscles clenching around him as she came. Reyes continued to suck and lick as he pulled her pleasure from her; until the tremors and pleasure subsided and she lay trembling and boneless in his grasp.

He kissed his way back up her body, every touch reverent and caressing, as his hands slid along her curves and he held her close. “You’re incredible,” he murmured, his accent thick with arousal. “I love how you respond to me. How you move when I touch you. The sounds you make.” He kissed her between each statement, passionate and affectionate.

He kept her legs hooked over his shoulders, and Sirius sent a brief and amused prayer of thanks to Lexi for insisting she keep up her yoga stretches as Reyes bent her almost double in order to kiss her. Their tongues danced together, sweet and hot, and with deep swirls that made Sirius hungry to have another part of him inside of her too. He broke the kiss and moved to his knees before her, the stars gleaming in the sky behind him as he positioned himself at her entrance, his body hard and ready.

“Tell me you want me,” he growled suddenly, his eyes intense as he met her gaze, teasing her entrance with his erection. “Tell me you’re mine.”

Sirius bit her lip and arched towards him. “You know I want you, and you know I’m yours. All yours. Please-”

She couldn’t wait. She wanted him desperately. Needed him now.

His eyes blazed with triumph, lust, and something darker but infinitely masculine. The look should have scared her, there was something of the predator in it, but instead it aroused her, made things in her stomach twist with need. Reyes thrust into her hard, hilting himself in one deep movement and causing them both to cry out. He leaned over her, planting one arm on the ground beside her head, wrapping the other around her thigh as he pounded into her in long deep strokes.

Their love making was desperate, ferocious, part-hunger for one another and part-relief that she was okay. They clung tightly, and Sirius met each of Reyes’ thrusts with rolls of her hips as she stared into his wolfish eyes. It wasn’t enough. She needed to be closer to him, to have  _ more _ of him, and with a small sound of need she brought her legs down from his shoulders and folded them under her.

“Help me sit up,” she gasped breathlessly, and Reyes complied with a small growl.

He pulled her into a sitting position so she was straddling him, her knees on the ground either side of his legs, then he scooped a hand under her ass and helped her move as she rode him. The feel of Reyes body within her was different from this angle, thicker and deeper, and she groaned and whimpered as he slid in and out of her in slick strokes.

“Oh fuck, Reyes!” She gasped against his mouth.

He grinned and kissed her quickly, then tangled a hand in her hair, holding her tight so he could watch her eyes. “Is this what you wanted? Does it feel good?”

“Yes!” Sirius gripped his shoulders, curling her nails into his skin as she fucked him.

He scooped her closer still, and she raked nails down his back as they rocked together, heat building in her stomach and spreading through her body as Reyes thrust into her again and again. His movements hard and fast, powerful and deep. She bit her lip as the pleasure built again, brimming and overflowing as though she were an overfull cup.

He held her fast, his arms tight around her as his mouth moved from her mouth down her throat, his lips pressing burning hot kisses to the column of her neck. The feel of being held so tightly should have scared her after what had happened, after being tied up and restrained for so long, but instead Reyes made her feel safe. The feel of his body, the smell of his aftershave, the touch of his mouth against hers made her feel safe, protected,  _ loved _ .

Sirius sobbed and clung to Reyes as he gently bit down on her neck, not hard enough to bruise her, not even hard enough to leave a mark, but hard enough that she clenched around him as it pushed her over the edge. Desire roared through her, sharp and beautiful, like the crackle of biotics or the first touch of sun after a long dark night. It washed over her in a dizzyingly, tumbling wave of pleasure and feeling, drowning out everything except  _ Reyes _ .

He tipped her back to the ground for purchase and then drove himself into her hard as she came, thrusting hard, _ once, twice, and three times, _ until he followed her over the edge with a muffled groan. He collapsed as he spilled himself inside of her, the weight of his body pinning her for a moment as he shuddered, then he rolled to the side with a husky laugh and tugged her into his arms. He was pleasantly warm, and Sirius snuggled close as the night air breathed against her sweaty skin, chilling her.

“That was fun,” she murmured after a few minutes of silence, and ran her foot up and down his leg.

Reyes shifted and glanced down at her. “ _ Fun _ ? I must be slipping.”

Sirius pressed a kiss to his chest. “Well, it was mind blowing, beautiful, and incredible too. You know, all those usual things too.”

“My masculine pride can rest easy then” He winked at her as he sat up and reached for a  long box which was sitting beside their empty plates. “Now, as I said earlier I got you a present.” She started to reach for it, but Reyes held it out of her reach. “Just a minute, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. I want you to know that I got you this so you can keep yourself safe. It’s easy to conceal and I’m assuming you’ll know how to use it.”

“It’s not jewellery, then?” she joked as she took it from him. 

Reyes grinned. “Not this time, but I did stick with the blue theme.”

She opened  the box; it  _ definitely  _ wasn’t jewellery.

Inside the box lay a long gleaming knife that resembled a karambit. The blade was ornate but functional, and clearly of angaran design. She couldn’t read the sigils along the side and resisted scanning them and asking SAM to translate even though she desperately wanted to. The metal gleamed a metallic blue in the moonlight, and she took it out of the box slowly, testing its weight and dragging a finger along the blade.

“It’s pretty,” Sirius said as she tightened her grip on the hilt. “But you do know the rule about bringing a knife to a gunfight, right Reyes?”

He snorted and shuffled closer. “You can never have too many knives, even in a gunfight. I just got to thinking, when that EMP went off you couldn’t use your guns, or your omni-blade, or even your biotics. Maybe if you’d had a regular knife hidden on you, you could have stopped him.” There was a darkness in his eyes, a shadow on his face which she’d caught glimpses of before, and for a moment it scared her, then she gave herself a shake; this was Reyes. He wouldn’t hurt her.

He took the knife and twirled it expertly as he continued, “This is easy to hide, easy to use. It’s fast, and it’s good for close quarter fighting. I want you to keep it on you at all times. I want you to keep yourself safe no matter what.” Reyes placed it back in the box and kissed her. “I know it’s not the most romantic of presents-”

Sirius smiled and took the box. “You want to keep me safe, that’s pretty damn romantic.” She put it to the side and wrapped her arms around his neck as she crawled back onto his lap. “In fact, it’s one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. You’re a good man, Reyes Vidal.”

Reyes tucked her hair behind her ears and caught her face in his hands, watching her quietly for a moment as the starlight bathed them both in its pale light. He sighed in a way that made her stomach twist, and then he smiled wryly. “I’m a lot of things, Siri; a good man isn’t one of them. But I’m trying.”

 

* * *

 

  _“No! Please, no!”_

The frightened cry dragged Reyes from his sleep, and he woke on alert. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and a sick feeling twirled in the pit of his stomach. He went for his gun without thinking, and the solid feel of the cold steel in his hand was reassuring as he sat up in bed and clicked on the light, his eyes scanning the room for danger. The shadows fell alarmingly across doorways and windows, but the cabin  _ looked  _ empty.

_ “Stop it! Oh God, no! Stop!”  _ The figure in bed beside him let out a choked cry, almost a sob, and with a muffled curse, he realised that it was Sirius who had woken him up.

“Fuck,” he swore again, and shifted to her side.

She lay curled in a ball, her golden skin banded by cotton sheets that had twined around her legs as she tossed and turned, and she clutched a pillow tightly to her chest. Her thick mane of black hair was spread around her like a dark spill of blood, and her face, normally laughing or serene, was twisted in an expression of pure terror. Tears glistened in the light of the lamp, and Reyes hastily put away his gun and shook her awake.

“Bluebird?” he whispered softly, trailing a careful hand down her shoulder. “Wake up, _mi reina_. It’s alright. You’re having a nightmare.”

Guilt settled upon his shoulders like a heavy cloak as she woke up and stared at him for several seconds in confusion and pain, her mind still stuck in whatever nightmare he’d brought her out of. Then she blinked, her eyes a soft glowing blue in the dark room, and with a strangled sob she reached for him. Reyes pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly as she cried, her waif-like body wracked with sobs. 

Lexi had briefed him on what he could expect at night, about the nightmares and her depression, but he hadn’t expected to be woken by Sirius’ screams. It hurt. Guilt wasn’t an emotion Reyes was used to feeling, especially not in a situation that wasn’t explicitly his fault, but he hated seeing the woman he adored like this, especially not when she was usually so strong and brave.

“You’re okay,” he told her, pressing a kiss to her forehead and smoothing her silken locks away from her face. “No one can hurt you now.” 

She nodded against his chest and tightened her arms around him, her cheeks damp as she pressed her face into the crook of his neck. “I dreamed I was back there again,” Sirius mumbled. “He was making me watch while he cut up another prisoner, killed him, and kept saying that I was next … .” She shuddered in his arms, and Reyes tightened his grip.

“They’re just dreams. I have you.” He closed his eyes, the familiar anger burning within him as he wished fervently that he could kill the man who had done this to her all over again. A bullet to the head hadn’t been enough. He should have been tossed, alive and screaming, into one of the pools of acid. Or been fed to a fiend. 

He should have suffered like he’d made Sirius suffer. 

Slowly, she drew back and wiped her eyes. “Thank you. God, I’m sorry. I’m crying all over you like an idiot.” 

Reyes shook his head and touched her damp cheeks. “You have nothing to apologise for. I don’t know what i would have done if I’d lost you.” 

It was true. So true that he wanted to scream his feelings for her from the rooftops and let everyone know. But there was more to the truth than just his feelings, there was also his  _ true identity _ , and that truth was far more dangerous. That truth could get him killed, tortured to death by Sloane. Possibly even get Sirius killed too. And if she ever found out the real truth about who he was, then she would leave him and he would have nothing.

“Reyes?” She touched his face gently, her fingers trailing along one cheek and then following his jaw as she claimed his attention. The atmosphere buzzed suddenly as her she let her hand gently slide down the strong line of his throat and pressed her palm to his chest over his heart. “I love you, you know.” 

The declaration was as unexpected as it was casual, and Reyes froze, his heart thudding painfully as he stared into her wide blue eyes. His chest felt as though it were being constricted by tight steel bands, and momentarily he forgot how to breath. 

_ She loved him? _

For an instant he felt fear begin to rise in his stomach, a terror that he wasn’t good enough or worthy enough for that kind of emotion … but then Sirius smiled, more a quirking of the lips than anything, and she leaned forward and brushed her mouth against his. _ She loved him, and he felt the same. _ He’d known it for a while now. It was why he’d given her the bluebird earrings, it was why he’d killed his own man to get her back, it was why he was here with her now instead of helping his people beat Kaetus halfway into hell where he belonged.

The kiss was gentle, teasing, and when he didn’t pull away or resist, she moved closer; linking her arms around his neck and sliding her lips to his ear. “I’m not expecting anything in return,” she told him quietly. “You don’t need to confess your undying love for me, and I’m not expecting you to come away with me or anything. I just love you, and I wanted to be honest. No pressure or anything.”

Sirius drew back and Reyes met her eyes, desperately wanting to tell her that he felt the same, but unable to find the words. There were so many lies between them now that it was impossible. If he told her that he loved her too and she found out how often he’d lied to her already, she may well think this was just another lie. 

When he told her that he loved her, he wanted the slate between them to be clean, for Sirius to know that he meant it.

He couldn't risk telling her  _ now _ .

Even if he wanted to.

Even if for the first time in his life, his heart cared more for another person that it did for himself.

He couldn’t risk losing her.

Reyes closed his eyes tightly, forcing himself to think of something other than her leaving him. He didn’t want to think about Sirius being gone, or, even worse,  _ hating him _ . Instead he focused on the feel of her body under his. His hunger for her swam beneath his skin like shark, and he fed the flames with more kisses. She answered with a groan, and his tongue stole out to swirl around hers as he tipped her back against the bed and covered her body with his own. 

He tried to show her how he felt in every look, every kiss, and with every stroke of his hands against her skin. He couldn’t say the words, but he could show her. They made love slowly, their bodies rocking together in the dusky light of his cabin as they gasped and groaned into each other’s mouths. Reyes had never felt so close to anyone before, and when he finally spilled himself inside of her with a shuddering cry, it was all he could do to keep himself from confessing that he felt the same as she did.

_ I will tell her the truth, _ Reyes promised himself as he brought Sirius to her climax and held her in the afterglow, nuzzling her neck affectionately.  _ When all the unpleasantness with Sloane was out of the way, I will explain myself and set the record straight. _

Sirius would understand; she loved him.

And Sloane? Soon she wouldn’t be a problem, and he could come clean.

* * *

 

_ A/N - Well ... the next chapter is my own off-canon version of high noon. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I hope you enjoy what happens next. As always, I'm keen to know what you thought! _


	7. Chapter 7

_ A/N - Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. I apologise for the delay with this one. Between my medical problems and my usual difficulties writing angst, I wrote this chapter slowly, but I hope you guys like it. _

* * *

_ When the silence beckons, _

_ And the day draws to a close, _

_ When the light of your life sighs, _

_ And love dies in your eyes, _

_ Only then will I realize, _

_ What you mean to me. _

 

\- Anathema,  _ Inner Silence _

* * *

 

_ Inevitable _ .

The familiar darkness of the Druallir caves pressed in around Reyes as he waited for Sloane, his mind turning over everything that had led to this moment. Leaving the Nexus after the Uprising, settling on Kadara, starting The Collective after Sloane’s dissatisfying attempt at leadership. Everything had led to this one point in time.

He turned his gun over in his hand, the weight of the weapon comforting and familiar as he let his mind wander. Had he done the right thing by leaving Sirius out of it? Reyes blew out a sharp breath and rubbed a hand over his eyes. When he’d left Kadara Port this morning after their time away together, she had seemed happier and more relaxed. The horrible tension and fear which had cloaked her since the kidnapping had faded; she’d seemed more like her old self.

When he’d received word that Sloane had taken the bait and agreed to meet with him after Kaetus’ beating, he had almost told Sirius everything.  _ Almost _ . But the temptation to wipe the slate clean and present her with the truth in a much neater way,  _ after the deed had been done _ , had proved too much. 

He didn’t want to drag Sirius into the civil war any more than he already had. The thought of asking her to involve herself in the fighting, to bring her with him today as he had planned to … it left a sour taste in his mouth. He couldn’t do it. He was a selfish man and he’d clung to her for as long as he could, drinking in their moments together and stealing kisses in their down time, but she deserved the truth.

And after today she would have it.

_ “We have movement,” _ his watcher reported in, voice tinny and hollow over the comms. _ “Sloane’s shuttle is touching down.”  _ There was a pause, and he heard the man swear.  _ “Shit, she’s not alone. She has Dorado with her-” _

“ _ Our _ Dorado?” Reyes stood up, his air of calm falling away as the watcher confirmed his worst fears. His swore fluently in Spanish and grit his teeth so hard his jaw ached. “I want eyes on them at all times. And after Sloane is down, I want Dorado taken care of. If she’s here with  _ her _ then she’s switched sides.”

_ “Understood, boss.” _ There was another, longer, pause, and then the watcher spoke up again.  _ “They’re not coming inside. I think they’re waiting for someone else. You think we’ve been made?” _

Reyes began to pace, anger eating away at him. “I don’t know, but Dorado knows these caves like that back of her hand, and even if she knows nothing about this plan, she knows enough about  _ us _ to do serious damage to the organisation. Fuck. That woman needs a bullet in her fucking head.” 

He forced himself to stop pacing and drew in a long steadying breath, forcing the familiar anger down, wishing he had whiskey with him. Back in the Milky Way his anger had served him well; kept him sharp. But here, with the stakes so high, he needed more than just anger. He needed to focus and stay sharp.

_ “Shit,”  _ the watcher’s voice broke over the comms again, tense and worried.  _ “We have more movement and you’re not going to like this.” _

The reluctance in his voice was obvious and Reyes frowned, a horrible feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Tell me.”

_ “The Pathfinder just showed up with two of her people-” _

Reyes didn’t hear the rest of what he said as the blood roared in his ear and he swayed unsteadily. 

_ Sirius. _

_ Sirius was here. _

Somehow Sloane had convinced her to come along. Did that mean that she knew about his involvement? Had Dorado somehow worked out who he was and told Sloane? Had they brought Sirius along as leverage? … Or was it just a coincidence? 

The comms buzzed again, the voices just background noise, and Reyes blinked, forcing himself to focus through the anxiety blinding him.

“Do nothing,” he managed to choke out. “My orders with the Pathfinder stand. Leave her out of this.”

_ “Sir, she and her crew are packing some serious gear-” _

Reyes slammed a fist against the cave wall. Pain lanced down his arm, but he ignored it. “I said leave them!” he snarled. “Sloane is the primary target, Dorado is secondary. The Pathfinder isn’t to be touched.” 

The watcher and sniper both acknowledged and signed off, plunging him back into radio silence. For a long time nothing moved in the cave, not even Reyes as he stood still, one hand braced against the cave wall as he drew in deep steadying breaths.  _ Inevitable _ . It had always been inevitable that Sirius would find out. But not like this. Not like this.

All he could do now was follow his original plan: take Sloane out and implement damage control if necessary. 

Reyes clenched his teeth angrily when the sounds of Sloane approaching reached him, echoing and bouncing off the walls of the main chamber. He could hear Sirius, Liam and Drack too, confusion and suspicion obvious in their voices. Whatever Sloane had told them to get them here wasn’t sitting well with them. Dorado’s snide voice was mingled amongst their chatter, supporting Sloane, encouraging them to follow her deeper, and he rolled his shoulders as a powerful need to see her dead filled him.

They came to a stop in the middle of the main cavern, light from a hole in the ceiling shining down. Sloane looked about, smug and arrogant, with Dorado on one side and Sirius on the other, while Liam and Drack hung back at the entrance to the cavern. Reyes tried to keep his eyes on Sloane as he stood hidden, watching them, but it was difficult when his Sirius was standing right there.

_ Inevitable _ .

His heart have a painful thump as Dorado leaned in close and whispered something to Sloane, and the queen bee narrowed her eyes and peered into the darkness as though trying to see him.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are, Charlatan,” she called nastily. “You called me out here.” Reyes hesitated, something in her tone warning him that there was more going on here then met the eye. A sly smile split her face and to his surprise she took a step backwards, ever so slightly, placing Sirius partly in front of her. “Or maybe I should just call you by your real name? Would that help? I’m sure your  _ Bluebird  _ here would love that.”

Sirius’ eyes widened slightly and she jerked her head to look at Sloane. “What did you say?”

_ Mother fucker. _

He stepped out before Sloane could do anymore damage, hating himself for letting things get to this stage, and hating Sloane for for dragging Sirius into the middle of their war.

“Well, you know that I like to make an entrance,” he drawled as he emerged the shadows.

Sirius’ face would have been almost comical if the situation had been different, and it took everything in Reyes not to react to the look of betrayal. If she’d suspected that he was the Charlatan after Sloane’s Bluebird comment, then she must have been telling herself she was wrong, because she looked devastated. Sloane took advantage of her shock and slipped behind Sirius, keeping his lover between herself and him.

“It’s  _ you _ ?” Sirius whispered, staring up at him as though he were a stranger. “You’re the Charlatan?” The hurt in her voice was raw, and it scraped along his nerves.

He wanted to stay focused on Sloane, to stay strong in front of her, but he could see the horror welling in Sirius’ eyes, could see her mind adding two and two together and coming up with five.

“You know who I really am,” Reyes told her, softening his eyes for a moment before he looked back at Sloane. “The Charlatan is a name  _ they _ gave me.” 

Sirius shook her head but said nothing. 

Instead, Sloane spoke up. “As touching and entertaining as this is,  _ you  _ called me here, Vidal. So what do you want?” she asked, watching him with her predatory eyes; their narrow, cunning stare pinning him mercilessly. 

“A duel,” he forced out as he walked to the edge of the ledge he was on and leapt off. “Just you and me; winner takes Kadara Port.” 

Sirius snapped out of her stupor and gaped at him. “You’re going to shoot each other?” She hissed.

Reyes latched onto the fact that she was scared for him, holding onto that knowledge tightly;  _ if she was scared for him, than she still cared _ . 

“Two people shooting each other is a better than a lot of people shooting each other,” he quipped as he stepped forward.

Dorado sneered. “Finally stepping up and handling your own business instead of letting us grunts do your dirty work for you? That’s real big of you.”

He ignored her as though she were a bug buzzing around his head and kept his attention on the people who mattered. Sloane seemed to consider his offer for a moment, and then with a small reptilian grin she whipped out her gun, grabbed Sirius and pulled her close as she held her pistol against the side of her head. Reyes had his gun out instantly, and he could see the gleam of the sniper rifle as his man lined up a shot.

“I think I’ll pass,” Sloane growled. “How about instead of us shooting each other, I shoot you and end this little charade right now? And if you don’t like that plan, I’ll put a bullet in your little girlfriend here, and  _ then _ I’ll put a bullet in you-”

“Fuck you,” Reyes snapped and kept his gun up; he just needed to distract Sloane long enough for the sniper to get his sights locked in. 

She laughed. “You’re so fucking predictable. As soon as Dorado here got sick of living in a cave and came to my side, I knew it was just a matter of time before I’d have you. Everything pointed to you. And once I knew you had your greedy little eyes set on the Pathfinder, well, that was even better.” She leaned forward and grinned at Reyes as she spoke to Sirius. “He was using you, you know. You were just a means to an end. A weapon he could wield in his little play for power against me-”

“Shut up!” He held his gun tighter and took another step forward. Instantly, Dorado brought her gun up, and he paused. “Siri,” Reyes looked back at her. “Don’t listen to the crazy bitch.”

Sloane shook her head as though he were being ridiculous. “He thought you’d be an easy mark,” she continued. “A nice soft woman fresh from the Milky Way for him to fuck over, just like he has half the people in the port.” She sneered at him. “And predictably you were stupid enough to fall for him. Talk about your weak, pathetic, morons. Honestly, you almost deserve what he would have done to you-”

Reyes was about to tell her to shut up again, but before he could even open his mouth, Sirius beat him to it. Her eyes blazed, and her biotics lit up around her like some kind of unholy fire. He saw the gleam of a knife, the same knife he’d given her the previous night, and knew what would happen. Where she’d hidden it, Reyes couldn’t tell, but between one breath and the next it appeared in her hand, gleaming in her biotic light.

She moved in a blur of speed that made his head spin; one moment she was standing with the knife in her hand and Sloane’s gun to her head, and the next she’d cracked her head backwards into Sloane’s face. Her nose broke with a sickening crunch and squirt of bright red blood, and then Sirius struck, whirling and plunging the knife into her her neck; all the way up to the hilt. Sloane let out a gurgling yell and stumbled back, the knife pulling free as Sirius kept hold.

For a moment Sloane stared at her furiously as she cupped her broken nose with her hand, seemingly oblivious to the wound in her neck squirting blood. Then she began to raise her gun, her eyes blazing with hate and rage, the fury in them burning like the flames of hell. Her gun got halfway up when a shot rang out, deafeningly loud, and Sirius jumped in front of him. 

For a moment Reyes thought she’d been shot. But it was Sloane who stumbled and fell to her knees as the sniper's bullet sank home. She gaped, her mouth hanging open in confusion as she tried to work out what had happened, where the shot had come from.

_ You’ve been outplayed, _ Reyes wanted to tell her,  _ and now you’re dead. _

Sloane’s eyes rolled up to stare at Sirius in a silent plea, as if she could help her,  _ as if she would _ , then they slipped sideways to stare at Reyes himself before they rolled up into her head and she crumpled onto the ground. Silence fell and Reyes stepped forward, rolling her body over with one foot and staring down into her dead face. He cocked his finger and aimed it down at her.

“Bang.”

The urge to laugh burbled up inside of him, born from a hysterical relief that she was dead; that somehow things had worked out. But he buried it deep and turned to face Sirius who was still staring at Sloane’s body. She looked rough. Blood was splattered across her face, and her chest heaved as though she were struggling to catch her breath.

_ Shit. _

Reyes took a step forward and reached for her arm.“Siri-”

“Stay away from me!” She jerked back a step, her eyes wide with fear, and brought the knife up in front of her as though to fend him off. 

“Whoa!” He pulled his arm back and dropped his gun to show that he wouldn’t hurt her, and held both hands up palm forward. “Siri, it’s okay, it’s me. You don’t need that.”

Sirius shook her head and kept the knife up. “You’ve been lying to me?”

Reyes hesitated as his comms buzzed and the sniper’s voice came on.  _ “Dorado’s split, but I have a shot lined up on the Pathfinder. Do you need me to put her down?” _

“No!” He shook his head, aiming the words at both Sirius and the sniper as he stepped forward, trying to stay between her and the sniper in case the man got trigger happy protecting his boss. 

“Yes, you have been!” Her voice cracked and she kept the knife up, not lowering it as he’d hoped. “All this fucking time, you were lying to me. It was  _ your  _ people who took me,  _ your  _ people who did this to me!” She pointed at her arm, the one that his man had scarred up during the torture, and Reyes’ heart sank as her biotics began to flicker around her.

She was angry and scared, he realised. He needed to calm her down; to make her understand that he hadn’t meant to hurt her. Reyes took another step forward, ignoring the knife and keeping his eyes locked with hers, hating the look of betrayal and hurt burning in her gaze. He had to fix this. He had to make this right.

“Sirius, you  _ know  _ me. You know me better than anyone.” He kept his voice calm. _ She wouldn’t actually use the knife on him. She wouldn’t. She was just scared. _ “The Charlatan is just a name-”

She shook her head and her biotics glowed brighter as her eyes filled with tears. “That’s bullshit, Reyes. You’re not just some smuggler or member of the angaran resistance. You’re the leader of the Collective; the people who took me. You knew! And you didn’t tell me.” She sobbed and stumbled back a step as though to get away from him.

Reyes moved quickly and sidestepped around the knife, catching her wrist in his hand and holding the knife away as he tried to gently pull her to him, intending to hold her close as he had a hundred times. But Sirius wasn’t having it. She fought, snarling as her biotics flared and she tried to twist her wrist free from his grip. Her power roared to life and smashed into him, a biotic freight train which Reyes had never felt aimed at him before, and his ears popped as she threw him away from her.

His crashed into the wall with a deafening crack; his head colliding with a rock hard enough to daze him as he slumped to the ground and groggily tried to sit up. The room spun, and when he touched the back of his head his glove came away sticky with blood. Angry shouting filled his ears and he got to his feet slowly, blinking in surprise as a Collective agent appeared to help him.

He blinked again, trying to gauge what had happened; had he blacked out for a few seconds?

Liam and Drack were being held on one side of the room by several of his men, but there was no sign of Sirius. The agent who had helped him to his feet was talking, and Reyes waved him off and stumbled towards the Pathfinder’s crew, ignoring the warmth of his blood as it ran down the back of his neck.

“You son of a bitch!” Liam snapped as he drew closer. 

Reyes eyed Drack suspiciously, the Krogan was being far too quiet for his liking, but he focused on Liam. “Where is she?”

“ _ Where is she _ ?” He laughed, an angry sound. “You sniper took a shot at her and she took off down there!” Liam pointed at a tunnel where two of his men were standing, staring into the dark. “What the hell is your problem, anyway? You had your men shoot at her?”

“No!” He shook his head in denial and gritted his teeth as he remember the loud sound as he’d hit the side of the cave; it must have been a gunshot.  _ Damn that sniper!  _ “This is all fucked up. None of you were meant to be here. She wasn’t meant to find out like this-”

“Fuck man, as far as I can tell, you didn’t mean for her to find out at all.” Liam looked at him contemptuously. “You’re reaping what you sowed.”

Reyes scowled and turned away, the motion making him feel vaguely sick as the cavern spun around him. “Let them go and find Dorado,” he tossed back over his shoulder at the agents guarding them. “And if anyone else takes a shot at the Pathfinder I’m going to put a bullet in their head myself.”

He walked away to the sound of Liam and Drack muttering angrily after him, and ground his teeth as he shoved his men out of the way of the tunnel. He ordered them not to follow him, and set about finding Sirius. She didn’t know these caves like he did and it was easy to follow her footsteps in the sand, especially when they were highlighted by the occasional drop of blood.

Rage swelled up in Reyes; that sniper was dead.  _ He was fucking dead.  _

He found her in an alcove after what felt like an eternity of following her footsteps; sitting with her head between her knees and her hands clasped over her head. One could have been forgiven for thinking it was a protective gesture, but Reyes knew it for what it was; an attempt to shut the world out. Under her he could see a small pool of dark red liquid, and the coppery smell of blood was heavy in the air. So Liam had been right; the sniper had shot her. 

“Sirius?” he spoke quietly, trying not to startle her as he approached, but she didn’t so much as look up. “Are you okay?”

Again, nothing.

He reached out a hand to touch her shoulder, and she let out a sob and pulled away from him.

“Don’t touch me.”

Reyes froze with his hand outstretched, fingers inches from her shoulder. The silence stretched in the aftermath of her statement, the atmosphere thin and brittle, and he swallowed as the contents as his stomach rose up in a sickening swell. The naked hate in her tone scorched along his skin in a burning wave, and under it was something which hurt him even more; pain.

He’d hurt her.

The one thing he had told himself over and over that he wouldn’t do.

Reyes swallowed again as realisation hit him; there would be no coming back from this. No talking his way out, no explaining away what had happened. His only hope was that she would understand why he had hidden things from her, why he hadn’t told her the truth from the very start. A heaviness weighed on his soul, a blackness inside of him eating away at all of the light and happiness he’d woken with this morning, as he realised that he didn’t expect her to forgive him.

“Sirius, let me explain-”

She shook her head, a small movement, enough to jostle per ponytail. “I don’t want to listen to anything you have to say. Just ... leave me alone.”

He drew in a small breath and swallowed. Rejection. He’s expected as much. But he couldn’t walk away. Not after all they had been through together, not after the nights they’d spent together or the way she made him feel. He owed them more than just giving up.

“I can’t leave you here like this. You’re hurt.”

Sirius laughed. Cold. Angry. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m hurt.” She sat up with a small grunt of pain, and he saw the dark smear of blood on her shoulder where the sniper,  _ his sniper _ , had taken the shot. 

For a long moment she stared at him, her eyes free of the biotic light that normally shone from them, and for the first time Reyes found himself staring into hazel eyes that were a match for his own. It hurt to see the light in her eyes gone, and he dropped his gaze, studying the rest of her face instead. Her lower lip trembled and when he looked back into her eyes they were filled with tears as she looked away. 

“Bluebird-”

“Shut up!” she gasped on the edge of a sob closed her eyes tightly. “Don’t call me that. Just ... shut up.” She shook her head and Reyes’ eyes burned as she struggled to control herself. When she opened her eyes again they were raw with her pain. “You used me,” she said finally, her voice hollow. “I feel so stupid-”

He wanted to scream. To kill Sloane all over again for putting these ideas inside of her head. “No, I never-”

“Yes, you did.” Sirius wiped her eyes and gave him a hard look. “You had every chance to tell me the truth about who you were, but you kept it hidden. You lied to me instead. You fucking  _ used _ me in your little game.”

Reyes knelt down in front of her in front and spread his hands. “I didn’t mean to use you, not in the way you think. And I wanted to be the man you thought I was,” he confessed quietly. “I just … I was worried about what would happen when you found out.”

“Why?” She wiped her tears away clumsily with the back of her hand. “I don’t understand why you didn’t tell me. Why didn’t you trust me?”

He started to reach for her hand but froze when she jerked out of reach. The chasm between them yawned, wide and uncrossable, and he sighed. “I liked the way you looked at me,” he said eventually, his voice heavy with regret. “I didn’t want that to change, and I knew it would would the moment you found out.” His chest ached with regret; he should have been brave. He should have told her. “Like it’s changing now.”

Sirius let out a sob and stared at him as though she had never seen him before. “I wouldn’t have cared,” she cried brokenly, her voice cracking with stress. “I loved you and I hated Sloane. I wouldn’t have cared.” She curled inwards and cried harder, her shoulders shaking.

_ Loved. _

Past tense.

It hurt, and Reyes fought not to flinch, not to let  _ anything _ show as he watched her fall apart. “I wanted to keep you out of this. You have to believe me.”

‘Well I don’t!” She snapped, her head jerking up. Her eyes flashed and she glared at him. “Everything you had me do was designed to undermine Sloane, wasn’t it? Vehn Terev, the murders, Sloane’s party. You used me and I was so fucking stupid that not only did I not see what you were doing, I fell in love with you.” Sirius let out a small hysterical laugh. “So no, Reyes, I don’t believe you.”

“Sirius-”

“God, I  _ slept _ with you.” She looked like she was going to be sick and Reyes felt as though someone had kicked him in the guts as she began to cry in earnest. “I f-f-feel so dirty and used and s-s-stupid,” she gasped in between her sobs.

Reyes shook his head. “Please don’t. It wasn’t like that. Please. You have to know how I feel about you, Bluebird. You have to know that I-”

“You’re a snake!” She bit out, interrupting him and not bothering to wipe her face. “Everything you’ve said to me is fucking poison. And you know what the stupid thing is? I  _ want  _ to believe you. Even now I want to believe that you’re the man i fell in love with - that same guy who cooked me dinner last night and held me when I slept … .” she trailed off as her emotions overwhelmed her, her voice falling to a whisper.

“Siri.” Reyes knew he couldn’t say anything. Couldn't do anything. This was beyond words and actions.

Sirius took a deep breath and continued. “I want to believe you, but you  _ used _ me, and part of me is wondering if it goes deeper than that.” She fixed a troubled gaze on him, her eyes guarded, frightened. “What if your agent took me on your say so? What if he hurt me and you knew? What if you planned to be the hero and rescue me? I mean, what better what to make a girl grateful than to save her life?”

Horror filled Reyes. A deep dark blackness the likes of which he hadn’t felt since those early days when they’d left the Nexus; when he’d been certain they were all doomed. 

She couldn’t mean what she was saying, could she?

“You think I’d hurt you?” He breathed into the silence.

His shock must have shown on his face, because Sirius paused and looked guilty for a moment, then her face crumpled and she shrugged.

“I don’t know, Reyes. I feel like I don’t know who you are.” She stood up. “I need to get out of here. I need to be alone … to think.”

“I didn’t mean for this to happen-” he tried to explain, but she shook her head, refusing to look at him.

“I don’t care, I want to go. Can I leave without worrying about being shot by your men again?” 

Anger coloured her tone, and Reyes sighed. He got to his feet and dusted himself off, a heaviness weighing him down. “The sniper wasn’t supposed to fire on you, I’m sorry. If you want to leave you’re free to do whatever you want. Just … don’t give up on me. Don’t give up on us. Don’t let Sloane ruin this with her bullshit-”

“Sloane didn’t ruin this!” She spun around and looked at him as though she felt sorry for him. “Jesus, Reyes!  _ You  _ ruined this! You and all your fucking lies!”

“I know!” He exploded, frustrated. “I fucking know, and I’m sorry! I’m sorry that I didn’t want to lose you!” He strode forward and caught her hands. Sirius gasped, tugging against him. “I know I handled things badly and I’m a fuck up and a selfish bastard, but I don’t want to lose you. I still don’t and if I have to fight to hold on to you, then I will. You’re the only good thing in my life.”

“Well maybe you shouldn’t have fucked it up!” She pulled free of him and pressed a hand to her shoulder, silently letting him know that he’d hurt her. Her hazel eyes looked hollow and alien in her face; none of her usual light or sparkle present. “You lied to me, and used me. You made a joke out of our relationship; out of  _ me. _ ” She sucked in a breath and shook her head. “I can’t do this. I can’t.”

She started to walk away and Reyes watched her go, his legs frozen in place as though they were made of stone. His heart screamed at him to say something. To stop her. And he fumbled desperately for something to hold onto her with.

“The Outpost?” He managed to croak as she was about to leave the alcove. “It’s yours. No tricks or catches.”

She paused and he heard her blow out a long breath. “Addison will be in touch. I’m done with this place.” Sirius kept walking and then she tossed over her shoulder: “You know what snakes do to birds, Reyes? They eat them, and I’m not going to let this place swallow me up.”

And then she was gone.

Reyes sank down onto the rock which Sirius had recently vacated, his heart aching painfully at her loss. He felt numb. Hollow. Empty. Like someone had ripped part of his soul away. The victory of the day seemed meaningless without Sirius, and he stared down the alcove where she had vanished, wishing with all of his heart that she’d turn around and come back.

He’d known this moment was coming, had seen it a mile off despite what he’d told himself. But he’d been greedy and had hoarded those snatched moments with her, desperate to make them last rather than face the truth. 

But the end had been inevitable.

Only … he couldn’t let it end this way. He  _ wouldn’t _ . Somehow he would find a way to make it up to Sirius, to prove to her that he wasn’t some snakey bastard that had lied and used her up. He loved her. And somehow he was going to prove it.

* * *

 

_ A/N - *runs away sobbing* _


	8. Chapter 8

_ A/N - Apologies for the delay with the update. I was dealing with some harassment from within the fandom and it kind of kicked my love of Reyder and of writing into little bits for a while ... but I'm determined not to let some bullies ruin a story that I genuinely love! So here I am! ^_^ And I hope you all really love this chapter! Many thank you to everyone who sent me messages, who is reading along, and of course to the wonderful people who post reviews - you always make my day! _

* * *

 

Sirius hit the ground with a bone-shaking thud, slamming against the wall and scuttling into cover as plasma blasts from kett rifles hit the desk she had thrown herself behind. Somewhere to her right, Drack bellowed with rage, and she caught Liam’s eye as he hurdled the desk and joined her. The Archon’s ship was more dangerous than she had expected, and they were surrounded, outgunned, and the kett soldiers just kept pouring into the labs.

But for the first time in weeks, she finally felt alive _. _

 Her muscles ached with exertion, her biotic amp burned unpleasantly in the back of her head, and the stench of rotting salarian bodies permeated the air like a foul perfume. Bile rose in the back of her throat, but she swallowed it down, embracing the anger that pulsed through her. _How dare the kett do this to innocent people!_ Her rage simmered uncontrollably. _How dare they use people like this!_

"They’ve got us pinned,” she growled, hefting her shotgun and listening to the kett’s garbled chatter as they shouted orders.

Liam nodded, his eyes serious. “I know.” He checked his ammo and kept his head low as shots thudded into the desk, sparks flying. “You doing okay?”

Sirius gritted her teeth as his question grated along her nerves. It was true that she had taken a few risks on the way into the ship and received an equal number of hits for her trouble, but the wounds were superficial. It were as though Liam thought she were some fragile fluttering bird who had been wounded by a well placed rock or something.

“I’m good,” she snapped. “Keep your focus on the Kett. We need to get past them and get that artefact.” Sirius flexed her biotics, her power boiling through the air like brilliant blue wisps of smoke.

“Right, yeah.” Liam shifted as the Kett concentrated their fire and something heavier, possibly a grenade, exploded against the desk, moving it several inches. “It’s just that you took a few shots earlier, and I thought-”

Her eyes flashed as they clashed with his and Liam’s words dried up.

“I’m  _ fine _ ,” Sirius told him for what felt like the thousandth time since her break up with Reyes.

She turned away before he could reply, and without waiting for him to cover her, used a break in the kett fire to launch an attack. She gathered her biotics around her like a cloak, wrapping them close as she sprung out from behind the desk and charged at a cluster of surprised kett. Liam yelled after her, startled and angry at her recklessness, but Sirius surged forward, committed.

The kett managed to gather their wits enough to fire off a few rounds, and the plasma bolts crackled as they thudded into her shields. Her armour shuddered under their impact, and an almost electric buzz crept over her skin as they discharged. She gritted her teeth as one shot hit her square in the stomach, not getting through the softer padding of her armour, but striking her hard enough to wind her.

She crashed into the kett at full speed, sending them flying; legs akimbo and arms flailing as they screeched. Her biotics flared powerfully, blinding her for a moment as she slammed a nova into the ground and heard more kett squeal as they were knocked senseless.

One scrambled to his feet at came at her, disorientated and addled from her attack. Sirius smashed the butt of her shotgun into his face, and dark blood spurted as his head caved in with a sickening squelch. He dropped to the ground and lay twitching.

Another took his place, and this one she disemboweled with her omni-blade; a scream tearing from her throat as the soldier raked jagged claws down her front, sparks flying. Another kett appeared, and she charged at this one. Another. Then another. Her implant burned. Her fists ached. SAM spoke, buzzing inside of her head, but the pounding of her own heartbeat drowned everything out except her battlerage.

The close quarter fighting was desperate. Brutal. Violent. But when she lived in the moment like this, surrounded by pain and blood, her biotics burning and very moment a horrific scramble to survive, at least she felt alive. At least she felt something other than the empty numbness that plagued her day by day.

At least she didn’t think of Reyes.

The brief thought of him sent her stumbling as a party of kett swarmed into the room, overwhelming her. Liam yelled her name as she vanished into the fray, fighting tooth and nail as some fired shots and others reached for her with pale spider-like hands. Pain exploded up her face as a fist caught her in the cheek; her eyes watering from the force of the blow.

A plasma bolt hit her, catching her in the middle yet again, and she doubled up, breathing through the pain as the kett closed in. Their clawed hands fastened on her, dragging her out of the lab with the rotting salarians. A brief thought lingered in her mind:  _ that they didn’t want her dead; they wanted her alive to torture like they had the Salarians. _

_ No! _ Sirius dug her heels in and halted their progress with sheer brute force. _ No one would ever cut her up again! _

She screamed in rage and fear, her biotics exploding outwards in a wave of light and power, flinging them off. Most hit the walls with sickening crunches, their heads snapping at unnatural angles as her attack propelled them with enough force to break bones and crunch spines. She saw Liam thundering towards her, and he pounced on one with his dual omni-blades out, almost severing it’s neck.

Her ears rang from the fighting, biotics, and her injuries, and she let Liam drag her back from the hall as Drack charged forward to finish off the remaining kett. The floor shook under his footsteps, and she blinked dizzily as the room spun, a loud buzzing sound drowning out everything except the ringing in her ears.

Her arm felt numb from where a plasma bolt had hit it, and her shotgun dangled from nerveless fingers. Liam pushed her behind cover and crouched, his mouth moving as he spoke. Sirius tried to focus through the ringing in her ears and the burning pain of her overtaxed amp, but it was impossible, and she gave up trying to make out his words.

_ He looked angry,  _ she thought,   _ like her father had when she’d done something dumb as a child. _

Feeling slowly returned to her arm, and with it, pain. Hearing came back more slowly, and by the time she could hear Liam shouting at her, Drack had finished mopping up the leftovers, and he joined Liam to stare at her in silent disapproval. She ignored them both and concentrated on tearing open packets of medi gel, smearing them over her face; her cheek felt broken and her eye socket was swelling. Each touch of her fingers was agony, but she persisted.

“What were you thinking?” Liam was ranting, frustration giving his voice a ferocious edge she rarely heard. “You could have been killed!”

Sirius flicked her eyes up, her heart contracting as the thought flared inside of her, bitter and pained, that dying fighting would be better than facing the endless march of days stretching ahead of her. Days full of the hushed whispers of the Tempest crew, of the missions building up that required trips to Kadara that she was ignoring, of the horrible, gnawing loneliness that wouldn’t go away.

It hurt.

It hurt all the time.

And it wouldn’t stop hurting.

She bit the inside of her lip so hard she tasted blood, the pain focused her, chased away the darker thoughts, and she tore her eyes from Liam’s. It felt as though her life were spiraling out of control, as though she has lost everything holding her together, and piece by piece she were falling apart. Losing herself to that horrible darkness.

Her father’s death seemed to weigh more heavily, as did her brother’s absence and coma, and of course, there was the pain of Reyes’ betrayal. Even thinking about him sent a spear of pain through her that was so sharp her heart contracted, the breath seemed to leave her body, and her eyes teared up.

Sirius bit back a sob. Despair, so black and deep it threatened to swallow her whole, sat in her chest. It weighed her down. It ached. And day by day it grew a little more, ate a little more of her away, and threatened to drag her down and drown her.

She could have borne the pain of her father’s death and her brother’s absence if not for his betrayal, she  _ had _ been bearing it. But truth of Reyes’ identity, the countless lies he’d told her, the way he’d used her …  _ it hurt _ . The thought of him sent spirals of anxiety worming their way through her chest, and it was made all the worse because he didn’t seem willing to let her go.

Each time Reyes emailed her, the blackness grew. His attempts to explain himself, to stay in touch, felt hollow and false. She’d read his first email, judged it to be full of lies, and had left the others. They were the words of a man who had happily used her, lied to her, who had looked into her eyes and smiled as she’d stupidly professed her love for him. He’d probably had a great laugh about that the next day; about how the poor stupid Pathfinder had fallen in love with him.

But he’d made her think he loved her too. Not with words, but with the way he’d looked at her. With all those little touches, and with with all those special moments they’d special together.

All lies.

An act.

_ The snake. _

He had never cared for her beyond a means to an end. Why he wouldn't let her go, why he kept lying to her now, she didn’t know. But the scars on her arm were a visible reminder of just how little he cared for her. Of how far he had been willing to go in his act to ensure her loyalty.

And to win her heart.

Sirius squeezed her hands into fists, and climbed to her feet as Liam stared at her in frustration and concern, his dark eyes worried. Her stomach burned with agony, and she knew she would have burns from the plasma bolts. Maybe worse if any of the plasma had leaked between her armour. She focused on the pain. It helped to chase away thought of Reyes, and of the humiliation of being taken in and used so completely by someone she loved.

“Sirius-”

“I’m fine,” she repeated her earlier claim, something that had become a kind of catch cry over the last few weeks. “We were pinned and needed to break their line. It worked didn’t it? End of discussion.”

Drack and Liam exchanged a look, and she knew it would not be the end of the discussion. That she would hear about this later on from either of them, or maybe from Lexi. The doctor had corned her once already since her breakup with Reyes, concerned with her reckless behaviour. She’d skirted the issue and taken a page out of Peebee’s book; avoiding Lexi afterwards.

Sirius shook off the memories and pressed a hand to her stomach as she nodded at the hallway the kett had tried to drag her down. “Come on,” she told them. “Let’s get this artefact, find the Salarian Pathfinder team, and get the hell off this ship.”

Drack grunted. “Finally, the kid says something of sense.”

They moved off as a team, Sirius taking point and trying not to hunch or clutch her middle too much as the pain radiated outwards. The shadowy halls of the Archon’s ship helped to hide their movements as they pushed ever onwards, SAM guiding them as they traversed medical facilities full of mangled Salarian bodies and more kett doctors. No more soldiers attacked them, but a feeling of being watched settled over Sirius, and she couldn’t shake the sensation as they pushed on.

“This doesn’t feel right,” Liam muttered as kett doctors scuttled away from them as they entered yet another facility. “They’ve done nothing but try to kill us since we boarded, and all of a sudden they’re running away from us? Does anyone else get the feeling we’re missing something?”

Drack grunted and fired after the retreating doctors. “It feels like a trap. They tried to drag Ryder down this way earlier. Maybe we’re doing exactly what they want.”

Sirius scoffed. “What would they want me for? It’s not like I can teach the Archon how to open vaults or anything.”

“Yeah, but maybe  _ he  _ doesn’t know that?” Liam glanced at her as they edged along, distant screams that could have been from a salarian echoing through the room. He visibly shivered. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

“You sound like an old vid,” she told him as they approached a set of towering doors, which SAM helpfully informed her was the Archon’s chambers.

_ However, I suggest caution _ , his voice intoned softly inside of her head.  _ Your comrades are right; the behaviour of the kett suggests that they have been encouraging you in this direction. _

“I’ll be fine, SAM.” Sirius rolled her eyes, wondering if he could sense her doing that, half-certain he could when he stayed sullenly quiet as she bypassed the door and they entered the chamber. It was strangely empty and she narrowed her eyes as they they crept forward with their weapons raised. Her HUD blinked, encouraging her onwards.

_ Ryder! _ SAM burst out, his tone one of alarm,  _ Caution! My senses are detecting an immobilisation field. This is a trap- _

A loud sizzling sound cut through the air, the electrical buzz drowning out SAM’s warning as Sirius was pulled bodily into the air as a field activated around her. Something fastened about her, holding her arms tightly to her sides, pinning her in place as the air glowed and rippled with power.

_ Shit,  _ she thought desperately as she tried to struggle. It was as though her muscles had gone rigid and whatever was wrapped around her had rendered them useless. She could twist her head slightly and see Drack and Liam similarly held either side of her. Drack looked furious, while Liam wore an expression of alarm.

“I told you!” He managed to gasp when he caught Sirius’ eye, his tone half-joking as he tried to break the tension. “But no, _ Liam sounds like an old vid _ .” He mimicked her voice.

Sirius twisted her head and tried again to move her body. “Sorry. I guess I owe you one. I tell you what, if we make it out of this, remind me that I owe you a beer.”

He grumbled under his breath but shut up quickly as a set of doors on the other side of the room opened and the Archon stalked through, imposing in his glowing armour and rippling cloak. He towered above the other kett who fanned out around him like an honor guard, their beetle-black eyes glittering in the lights as they watched their prey squirm.

_ Were they about to be tortured like the Salarians,  _  Sirius wondered as she desperately tried to move.  _ Were they going to be cut up while they were alive? _ Her breath quickened and her heart began to pound.  _ Please no,  _ she thought desperately. _ Not again. _

“It’s useless to struggle.” The Archon  _ smiled _ , or he did something with his mouth that came as close to a smile as she had yet seen on a kett. His silvery eyes gleamed as he looked her up and down, circling around them. “I’ve been in this forsaken cluster for years. Stuck with these primitives, forced to exalt them to a state of being where they could finally be useful to me and able to comprehend the greatness of what I’m doing. And yet,” he paused and stuck his face close to hers, his eyes narrowing dangerously, “in all that time, I’ve never been able to do what you did.”

She glowered at him. “And what was that? Make friends?”

Her sarcasm didn’t seem to impress him, and the Archon bared his teeth. “A simple human, able to open vaults and operate remnant technology,” he lifted a hand and touched her hair as if intrigued by it, and Sirius jerked away. “You even managed to evade  _ me _ , for a time at least. You were a worthy opponent. Facing you has almost been invigorating, but like all things, it must come to an end, and this,” he pulled something out of his belt,  _ a syringe  _ she realised, and fear twisted in Sirius’ stomach as his mouth pulled into it’s horrible little smile again. “This is a most fitting end for you, Pathfinder.”

His eyes flashed as he grabbed her hair roughly with one hand and pulled her head down, then he jammed the syringe into the back of her neck. It felt as though he’d punctured her spine, and Sirius yelped in pain, unable to bite back a scream as he injected something into her. It burned, searing as it sank into her body, and if she’d been able to move she knew she would have been writhing in pain, but all she could do was grit her teeth as he held her her still.

“Let her go, you bastard!” Dimly, she heard Liam yelling, but the haze of pain made it hard to concentrate.

Finally, the Archon removed the injector and leaned close again, his bony plates brushing against her skin. “A first sample,” he murmured, and his hand tightened in her hair as though he were looking forward to collecting more samples from her. “Your testing begins now.” He released her abruptly and straightened, a look of cool arrogance sliding over his face. “I will learn your secrets soon enough.”

He stroked a hand through her hair again, his eyes following the movement as though he were fascinated, then he released her and moved off to Liam. Sirius watched as he examined Liam closely, dragging a finger along his skin, touching his hair while Liam cursed and struggled to pull away. There was something awful and oily in his curiosity and a shudder ran down her spine as the Archon moved back alongside her.

“Interesting,” he murmured, more to himself than her. “None of the others had this soft fur. Perhaps humans will make good …  _ pets _ .” Sirius growled before she could stop herself, and the Archon smiled again, his pointy teeth showing. “Save your strength, little human.” He caught her throat in his hand, almost choking her as he lowered his face down, his eyes burning inches away. “You’ll need it.”

A loud boom reverberated through the room, and the Archon released her and stepped back, his lips curling as one of his underlings stepped close and whispered something to him. “To your stations,” he barked suddenly, his tone irritated. “They must be stopped.”

They left the room within moments as more explosions sounded, and Drack grunted as he tried to free himself.

“I guess the Salarian Pathfinder is up to no good,” he rumbled in his bass voice.

Sirius nodded. “Whatever she did, I’m grateful. SAM, what can you tell us?”

_ I’m sensing a biological transmitter in your bloodstream. Attempting to neutralise it- _

She shook her head. “Later. Right now we need to get out of here before the kett come back. Any ideas?”

SAM was silent for a moment.  _ The containment field interacts with living matter only, if you were to expire, than the field would cease to work until manually reset _ . _  Since I can control your physiology in order to optimise your vital signs as required, extinguishing your lifesigns is a viable option. _

“Hang on,” Liam burst out suddenly. “What do you mean by ‘ _ cease to exist’ _ , don’t tell me you’re talking about killing her, SAM?”

Sirius craned her head around and shushed him. “Just wait a minute, Liam. SAM, are you saying that if you can kill me … the fields will shut off?”

_Yours will._ _I will then attempt resuscitation, and once you are awake, you can manually shut off the others. It is a viable option and theoretically sound._

It sounded risky, but what choice did she have?”

“Don’t you dare do it!” Liam seemed to sense her decision, and his voice cracked. “There has to be another way! SAM, think!”

_ I am afraid there is no other way. This is your only option. _

Sirius swallowed, the idea of allowing SAM to kill her wasn’t something she had ever thought might happen. A million questions flashed through her head; would it hurt? Would she see anything on the other side? Her mom? Her dad? She clenched her hands into fists and nodded; they needed to get free and this was their only choice.

She had to do it.

A small voice in the back of her head wondered what would happen if SAM couldn’t wake her up, and the despairing blackness inside of her swelled invitingly.  _ No more pain, _ it seemed to sigh,  _ no more people relying on you, no more hurting all the time, no more crying, no more of anything; you could rest.  _ Sirius tightened her fists even further, focusing on the pain to chase away the thoughts.

“Okay, let’s do this,” she told SAM, and when Liam voiced another protest she turned and winked at him. “Hey, it’ll be okay. I’ll be up and around before you know it.”

He didn’t look convinced. “You’d better be. I don’t want to lose my best friend, and besides, the Tempest wouldn’t be half as much fun with Pathfinder Harper in charge.”

Sirius laughed despite herself, and glanced over at Drack, who nodded at her.

“You can do this, kid,” he grunted, showing her the kind of support she wished Liam would.

Then she looked straight ahead and took a few calming breaths. “Okay. Do it, SAM. Before I lose my nerve.”

She sensed SAM taking control of her body, felt a strange electrical current flood through her nerve endings as he spoke one final time.  _ Stopping your heart now, Ryder. _

The pain was sudden. Crushing. A squeezing, stabbing agony that shot through her chest and back, down her arm, and pushed all the breath from her lungs. She couldn’t cry out, couldn’t do anything except let out a small gasp as her body struggled feebly to continue to live, to draw breath and pump blood ... and found it could do neither. It felt like the pain lasted an eternity. Stars burst behind her eyes, bright white that faded to a dusky red, and then the light began to fade.

Everything grew distant; the pain became background noise.

Images flashed through her mind; her mother, her brother, even her father, and memories rolled like mini-movies. Memories of her childhood on the Citadel, of laughing with her brother as they snuck into their father’s office to play a prank, of joining the Initiative, and of the moment she’d lost her dad on Habitat 7. She saw images of SAM node, of arriving in Andromeda, of the remnant vaults and the rush of success she felt opening them.

And then she saw Reyes, and her heart seemed to stop all over again.

In agonising detail, she remembered the way his eyes had twinkled and he’d smirked at her the first time they met in Kralla’s Song, she remembered the way her heart had leapt as they’d watched the sunset together after Sloane’s party, and with a painful physical jolt, she relived the warmth of his arms as she lay curled up against him in bed.

Tears glimmered in her eyes and, even in the dimming glow of her memories, pain burst through her anew, raw and agonising. If she’d had hands she would have reached out to touch him one last time. If she’d had a mouth or a voice she would have asked him  _ why _ .  _ Why  _ he’d strung her along and used her so callously when he’d known she’d lost a father, when he’d known her family had been shattered, and when he’d known she was all alone.

It hurt to remember; it hurt more than anything.

Then, as her memories flickered and dulled like the dying flames of a fire, everything grew hazy, and Sirius let herself fall into the darkness. She gave herself over to the emptiness eating away at the light behind her eyes ... because at least the emptiness would make the pain stop. As awareness faded, a single thought broke through and drifted to the surface of her mind;  _ I hope I don’t wake up. _

And then she died.

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_ A/N - *sniffles* I’m sorry! Poor Siri! Comments are loved - the next chapter is almost done and should be up next week. _


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N - Hello my lovelies! A big big thank you to everyone who left me a review and made my week after the last chapter! ^_^ I seriously love hearing from you guys and I'm glad you liked the last chapter - angsty though it was. There is more angst this chapter, though we do get to have my favourite conversation ever: Liam's conversation with Reyes. Thank you all for reading along, and thank you to everyone who has subscribed to this story and who has it favourited. You guys rock!_

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"I want her pulled off duty until her head is in a better place!"

Liam winced as Lexi's voice cut through the air like a whip, her tone furious and her normally serene eyes blazing as she stormed straight up to Cora and jammed a finger into the biotic's chest.

"And as for that AI," her tone vibrated with disbelief, "I don't care if we can't get him out of her head! I want him shackled or something! He _killed_ her! He _killed_ the Pathfinder!"

Cora, who hadn't been there when Sirius died, said nothing, but Liam could tell from the stony silence that she wasn't impressed with the doctor's outburst.

He cleared his throat and both women whipped around to face him. "To be fair,” he said evenly, “SAM did what he did because there was no other choice. Ryder gave her permission, and he _did_ restart her heart afterwards. It's not like he went all _killer-robot_ on her without warning. And if he hadn't done it then we would still be trapped and we’d probably be dead. Or worse." Liam shivered, remembering the mutilated Salarian bodies they had passed on the Archon's ship.

He could understand Lexi's fury though. The memory Sirius laying there dead was not one he would forget quickly, and his chest tightened unpleasantly as he remembered the moment she died. The way she’d jerked and sagged like a puppet who’s strings had been cut. The sound of pain she'd made as her heart stopped.

But that wasn't the worst of it. Worse still had been the waiting, and worst of all had been the moment when she'd woken up and hadn't been quick enough to hide _that_ look in her eyes.

Those silent seconds had felt like an eternity as she lay on the floor while SAM worked to get her heart going again. The angle of her head had been all wrong, and the way the blood drained from her face had been enough to make Liam scream. He'd seen enough death in his life to know that for a several moments there Sirius had been truly gone.

But then SAM had restarted her heart and she'd taken that first pained gasping breath. Her back had bowed and her hands had scrambled desperately for something to hold onto. Relief, the likes of which Liam had felt only a few times before, had washed over him as she'd come back to them ... but his relief had been short lived.

Sirius had opened her eyes looking confused, as though she couldn't remember where she was or what had happened. Then realisation dawned and a look of utter despair had fallen over her, and … he'd _known_.

She hadn't wanted to wake up.

Maybe she hadn't even been aware of it, but part of her had been hoping that SAM would fail and she would die on the Archon's ship. His relief had been replaced by fear, and then by anger, because the woman he knew, the Sirius who was his best friend, the Sirius of a few weeks ago, would never have had that look in her eyes.

And it was all Reyes Vidal’s fault.

She’d tried to shake it off and act like nothing was wrong, but he’d known. Drack had too. And he noted the krogan keeping a close eye on her as they'd retrieved the artefact and made it out of the Archon's ship. He’d wanted to say something to her, to try to understand what was going on in that head of hers, but Sirius vanished into her room before Liam could talk to her, and instead he’d wandered into this screaming match with Lexi and Cora.

He sighed as they rounded on him instead of each other.

"I appreciate that," Lexi snapped. "But she hasn't been the same since," she faltered and a look of sympathy flashed over her face. "Well, since Kadara." Her eyes turned back to Cora. "My point is that she needs time to get over her trauma. I know the Initiative needs her, but _she_ needs time to heal. If you keep riding her this hard, she's going to break."

Cora crossed her arms over her chest. "We don't have time for her to take days off for R&R. It's been weeks since that mess with Reyes; she needs to move on. The fact is that Alec chose her because he thought she could take it-"

"Lexi's right." Liam said suddenly, and Cora gave him a surprised look. "Not about SAM, he did the only thing he could, but Ryder needs some time to heal. Some time off. She just found the artefact which leads to Meridian; that must count for something? Surely we can handle some missions without her for a few days?" His stomach tied itself in knots as Cora considered him.

She tucked her blonde hair behind her ears and sighed. "Maybe," she granted. "I guess I can give her a few days. We need to deliver the artefact to Aya for the Moshae to study, and we could do that without her. Though, I doubt Evfra will be pleased if I show up without the Pathfinder along.” Liam gave Cora a look which said what he thought of Evfra, and she sighed and held up a hand. “You don’t need to say anything, I feel the same way. But she’s our representative and people expect to see Ryder, not me. And the fact remains that at some point she needs to move on from what happened. We've all dealt with breakups before-"

Her tone struck a nerve and Liam frowned. "Yeah, but how many of us have lost our dad while our brother is in a coma, _and_ had our lover turn out to be a gang leader?"

Cora pursed her lips at the interruption, but her expression showed that she agreed with him. "When you put it like that, she's been through a lot."

"More than a lot," Lexi chimed in. "She needs to heal, Cora. Some people bury themselves in work and it helps, but Ryder is becoming dangerous and self-destructive. I've read the mission reports, you _must_ have noticed it too. If we let her continue like this she’s liable to get herself or someone on the team killed."

She sighed. "Yes."

Lexi nodded and continued. "And then there is that _awful_ tattoo that Peebee talked her into getting to cover the scars-"

"Okay, okay," Cora held up her hands to stop Lexi. "Fine, she needs time off. I agree. She can have a few days. I'll make the arrangements with Tann.”

Liam rubbed a hand over his face, feeling exhausted as he wondered how Sirius would handle the news that the doctor was forcing her to take time off. "I'll talk to Ryder about this," he volunteered, knowing that she would take the news better from him than she would from Cora or Lexi.

"Thanks Liam," the doctor gave him a warm smile. "Just make sure she comes in to see me about her injuries. And tell her that I want to speak to her about her AI. SAM had no right to stop her heart."

He nodded and retreated from the room, not wanting to get drawn into another debate with her about the AI, especially when Cora was still bristling nearby. Instead he hurried down to the Pathfinder’s quarters, and ignoring the red light that indicated she didn't want to be disturbed, knocked briskly. There was no response, so he knocked again, then sent a request through on his omni-tool. When there was still no response, he used his trump card and sighed as he contacted SAM.

"SAM, tell Sirius that I'm coming in to see her, and if she doesn't unlock her door, I'll just hack it and come in anyway." It was a hollow threat, but it got the response he wanted, and within thirty seconds the door was unlocked and he came in, making sure to lock it behind him so they wouldn’t be disturbed.

Liam wasn't sure what he had been expecting to see; a trashed room, empty bottles of alcohol, or some other big sign of Sirius' descent into depression. He saw none of that. What he saw instead was general mess. Dirty clothes lay piled up near her closet where she had taken them off, as though the effort of putting them in the hamper was too much. Dirty plates and cups cluttered various surfaces, a sign that she had been eating most meals in here by herself. Data pads sat stacked beside her bed, the pile alarmingly high and leaning at such an angle that he wasn't sure how they hadn't fallen.

Everything looked unkempt, as though she couldn’t find the energy to clean.

Sirius lay hugging a pillow on her bed with her back to him, and he had the distinct impression that she was crying from the sniffing sounds she was making. She hadn't bothered to take off her purple and black under armour, and there was a sour smell of sweat and medigel in the air. Was she hurt? A heaviness weighed on him at how little she was caring for herself, and he crossed the room in a few quick strides and sat down on the edge of the bed, the silence stretching between them as she sniffed heavily and said nothing.

"You okay?" Liam asked finally.

She said nothing for a long time and then shrugged awkwardly. "I'm fine."

"You don't seem fine." He chewed on his lower lip, unsure of how to help. He wanted to be a good friend, but he didn’t want to push too hard. "What happened today-"

"I was stupid, okay? I get it." Sirius hugged the pillow tighter and kept her back to him. "Just leave me alone."

Liam waited for a beat, then sighed. "Do you really want me to go?"

There was silence again, longer, and he saw her shoulders move as though she were crying silently. She shook her head and he heard her draw in a long sobbing breath.

"No," she confessed brokenly, her voice thick with emotion. "I don't know what I want anymore, but I don’t want to be alone."

She burst into tears and curled herself around the pillow, crying quietly. Her knuckles were white as she clenched the fabric tightly, and Liam’s heart broke as he moved closer and tugged her into his arms. Sirius didn't come easily. She moved into his hold reluctantly, as though embarrassed to let him see her like this, but eventually she released her death grip on the pillow and let him hold her.

"Hey, it's okay," he told her soothingly. "You're allowed to be upset. What happened today was awful."

To his surprise, Sirius let out a small hysterical laugh. "You don't get it," she told him. "I don't care about dying. It's everything else. I just ... I can't take it." Tears swam in her eyes and she blinked to stop them falling. "Why can't I stop thinking about him? Why can’t I stop feeling like this? 

Liam felt his mood darken. "Reyes?"

She nodded, her lower lip trembling. "I love him, Liam. I can't help it. But he used me, so why can't I stop?" Her fingers tightened on his shoulder like steel, her nails digging in painfully so that he fought not to wince. "Why does it have to hurt so much?" She pressed her face against him, her cheeks damp as the tears spilled over despite her attempts to hold them in.

He scowled, anger for Reyes igniting inside him as he held her tighter. "You can't just turn your emotions off, Siri. You're not a robot."

 _What the hell was wrong with Vidal?_   He wondered. _How could he have done this to her?_

"I don't want to feel this way anymore. I don't want be stuck in Andromeda without my old friends and family, and I'm sick of missing him when he hurt me. It ... it hurts all the time and I'm sick of it. I wish he'd just go away and leave me be. I wish he'd stop emailing me-"

He blinked, and his scowl deepened. "Reyes is emailing you?"

"Yes!" Sirius snapped, her eyes suddenly furious. "I'm not opening them. He's a liar and I don't want to read what he has to say anymore. It just makes everything worse.” The anger vanished as fast as it has appeared, and she began to cry again. “It hurts, Liam. I want to forget about him. I don't want to feel sick or embarrassed or hurt anymore when I think about what he did to me. How could I have been so wrong?"

Liam wasn't sure what to say, so he held her while she sobbed. He held her while she told him about her broken heart and how much she missed her mother and father, while she cursed her brother for getting hurt, and cried about Reyes and how he'd hurt her. He held her until she said something which surprised him out of his silence.

"I hate that I fell for him. I hate myself so much. I thought he loved me." She drew in a shuddering breath. "I feel sick. The entire time we were together I didn't mean anything to him. He never cared about me, he even let me get hurt so I'd depend on him. He's a monster! But ... I still love him." Sirius sobbed harder, her voice broken. "What's wrong with me?"

Liam pulled back slightly, frowning. "Siri, what makes you think he never cared about you or that he let you get hurt?"

"He did _this_!"

Her eyes flickered with biotics as she looked up at him, her face pale and splotchy from crying. She gestured at her scarred arm, and Liam winced as he saw the fresh tattoo that covered most of her forearm. A long black snake that sat curled over the worst of the scars. The ink was only days old, and, if he wasn't mistaken, it looked slightly infected.

_I'm going to kill Peebee for convincing her to get that._

"Reyes didn't cut you up," Liam said carefully, aware that this was dangerous territory. "He didn’t even know you’d been kidnapped. I was there when he found out you were missing. Siri, and the guy might be an asshole and a great actor ... but I saw his face when he found out you were gone, and no one is that good at acting. He was frightened. _He didn’t know_."

Her jaw clenched and her eyes flashed. "You're wrong."

He shrugged and tried to keep his voice even. "I'm no fan of him, you know that. But he was scared, and when he brought you back here, he was furious at the person who had done it." Liam shifted, uneasy because he didn't like Reyes, but he was certain that whatever he might have done, he hadn't been involved in Sirius' kidnapping. And he was also certain that as flawed and manipulative as Reyes was, he did have genuine feelings for her.

He was just a lying bastard.

Sirius looked confused and her hands tightened on him. "Then _why_ , Liam? Why did he keep lying? If he didn't have anything to do with it, then why didn't he tell me? Why did he hide it all from me? He must have known he couldn't hide who he was forever?" Her eyes filled with tears again and she dashed them away furiously. "I'm so sick of this. I'm sick of crying and hurting over him. Why can't I just stop feeling this way? I hate him. I fucking hate him."

 _No you don’t._ Liam thought silently as he finally understood the truth behind her pain. _You still love him. You’re just in pain because he hurt you._

He sighed and hugged her tightly. "Did you ever think about asking Reyes why he lied to you?"

She stilled for a moment and he felt her tremble. "I did."

"And?"

"He said he was scared of losing me." Her voice broke again as she began to cry once more. "But how can I trust him? How can I trust anything he says?"

Liam didn't say anything as he held her while she cried. He couldn't bring himself to tell her that Lexi wanted her to take some time off; not now, when she was so distraught. He'd let her know that in the morning. Right now she needed his support and his friendship, and at the very least, he could give her those things.

He held her until she stopped crying and drifted off to sleep, then he quietly padded from the room and headed to the vidcom room. He didn't want to go behind Sirius’ back, but it was time for him to swallow his pride and call Reyes Vidal. Sirius was hurting, but more that that; she was wallowing in her grief and it was Reyes' fault.

Reyes needed to know what he had done to her with his lies so he could help fix this. And more than that, Sirius needed closure. If she wasn't going to read the emails that Reyes was sending to her, then he was going to call the bastard and find out what was going on.

Reyes and Sirius were both stubborn, and if by chance they were both nursing broken hearts, then maybe there was something he could do about it.

 _Ever the romantic,_ Liam mocked himself as he climbed the ramp to the vidcom room.

"SAM?" He said quietly as he reached the hologram screen and leaned forward. "Can you connect me with Reyes Vidal on Kadara without letting Ryder, know?"

 _"Yes."_ SAM sounded only too happy to help, and Liam wondered if he was worried about Sirius too. There was a brief delay, and then the connection went through. " _Connecting you to Mr. Vidal now."_

If Reyes was surprised to see him, he hid it well, though he wasn't quick enough to hide the look of disappointment that crossed his face. Evidently, he'd been expecting to see someone else when SAM put through the call, and it didn't take a brain surgeon to work out who that someone might be. Liam stored that bit of information away.

“Kosta,” Reyes greeted him coldly. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”  
  
“It’s about Sirius,’ Liam began, intending to explain about her spiral into depression and his concerns about her state of mind. But the other man’s eyes hardened and he cut him off.  
  
His mouth pulled into a line. “I’m busy dealing with a situation with _your_ outpost. Get the Pathfinder to email me, if she can find the time in her busy schedule.”  
  
He sounded angry, bitter, and a spear of irritation shot through Liam as he wondered just how badly Reyes’ pride was smarting after being ignored by Sirius for so long. Still, his rudeness stung, and he felt his hackles rise. If Reyes wanted to be blunt, then he’d be blunt too.  
  
“Well, that might be a little difficult,” he snapped. “Seeing as I was just calling to let you know that Sirius died today.”  
  
Reyes’ response was everything Liam hoped it would be, and within a moment, he knew the arrogant sod still had feelings for her. There was no mistaking his reaction. No hiding it. Reyes froze and even in hologram form he turned ashen, his eyes widening as he swayed unsteadily and put his hands out as though to steady himself.  
  
“Dead?” he breathed, his accent thicker than usual. Liam saw Reyes close his eyes for a moment and almost swoon, as though he were about to pass out. When he opened his eyes again they were suspiciously bright, and Liam suspected he was fighting off tears. “How?”  
  
He cleared his throat and continued, some sadistic part of him enjoying watching Reyes suffer, while another part of him realised that a reaction of this magnitude could only mean one thing; the bastard still loved Sirius.  
  
He wondered what she would think when he told her.  
  
He wondered if she would believe him.

 He wondered _if_ he should tell her.  
  
“On the Archon’s ship.” Liam watched Reyes absorb that news, saw him sway and draw in a deep unsteady breath, his eyes unfocused as he looked everywhere but at him. “She hadn’t been herself for several weeks,” he continued, paraphrasing what Lexi had said earlier as he drove the knife in a little deeper. “Since, well,” he cleared his throat. “Since the last time we were on Kadara. You know how upset she was. She wasn’t focused. Took stupid risks in fights. Didn’t seem to care much about whether she lived or died-”  
  
Reyes interrupted him with an inarticulate sound as he actually staggered. “Oh God.” He looked horrified. “What have I done?”

The pain in his voice was absolute. Raw. And a spear of guilt shot through Liam; he'd taken this too far. Enough was enough.

"Thankfully, SAM was able to get her heart started again," he said casually, as though Reyes ought to have known that Sirius was still alive. "She's recovering, but it was close."

Reyes stared at him in silence for a heartbeat, his chest heaving and his face frozen in an unreadable mask. "Are you saying,” he bit out slowly, “that she's … _alive_?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry. Did you think I meant she was _dead_ dead?" Liam schooled his face into a look of mock horror. "God, no. I mean, I'm worried about her because she let SAM kill her and because it was pretty obvious to me that she didn't want to come back, but she's still alive." His false look of horror faded, and he let his real expression show. He let his anger with Reyes shine through. He let him see his fear and his worry, and most of all, he let him see his concern for Sirius. "She's alive ... _for now_. Until she finds the next dangerous situation and gets herself killed for real. No thanks to you, Vidal."

The other man glared at him, his hologram managing to look both surly and resentful. "You made your point, Kosta. I hurt her and she's not dealing. I get it. But I've done everything I can to make it up to her. But she _won't_ listen to me. She won't reply to my emails, she won't see me on Kadara, and she won't take my calls. What am I supposed to do? Huh? Fly up there and board the Tempest by force? I can't just make her get over it." Reyes sounded frustrated, and Liam heard the sound of distress in his voice. "I didn't mean to hurt her, okay? I love her. I just wanted ..." he drifted off and shook his head. "It doesn't matter what I wanted. I screwed up."

"Yeah, you did. But it might not be too late." Liam leaned close and lowered his voice. "She's in pain, but she loves you, and if you really love her then maybe there's a chance. I have an idea. A stupid idea but ... I'll email you."

Reyes narrowed his eyes, looking both suspicious and hopeful. "Why would you help me? You _hate_ me."

"I'm not helping you; I'm helping _Sirius_ , and God knows why, but she loves you." He crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. "Just ... don't say anything to her, okay? Maybe I'm an idiot for thinking I can fix this, but she needs you. She needs you more than ever right now."

Reyes nodded once, his jaw tight. “I … thank you. I’ll wait for your email.” His voice was tight, the tone of politeness forced, but Liam had no doubt that Vidal would take all the help he could get.

“Good. Just don’t screw it up this time by telling more lies.” Liam ended the call before Reyes could reply, a plan already formulating in his head.

The first thing he needed to do was talk to Cora about visiting Kadara as soon as possible, God knew they had enough missions that required them to visit. The second thing he needed to do was find an excuse to get Sirius off the Tempest and into the Port when they landed. The third thing … well … that would be more difficult, and would require a lie or two on _his_ behalf.

But that was okay.

He had only told _Reyes_ not to tell lies, he hadn’t said anything about the rest of them.

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_A/N - Ah ha! Liam is a man with a plan! Let's hope it works out for them! ^_^ I hope you guys enjoyed this. Reviews and comments are always very much loved!_


	10. Chapter 10

_ A/N - Finally! This is the chapter where Sirius and Reyes meet back up again, and boy is it a big chapter! I hope you guys all really enjoy it! And thank you so so much to everyone who has subscribed and followed this story, especially to my reviewers who constantly make my day and keep me writing. You guys rock my socks off. _

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Kadara Port buzzed with activity; ships zoomed in and out of the dock, workers bustled around importantly, and everything seemed much lighter than the last time Sirius had visited. Except for her of course; she felt heavier, as though a great weight were pressing down on her shoulders.

She lingered near the base of the Tempest as she waited for Liam to join her, one hand resting on the ship as though it were a safety net. The sun cast a pleasant warmth over her skin, and a cool breeze lifted her hair. Despite the warm day, a growing sense of icy panic was spreading within her at the thought of being left here with no ship.

With no Tempest waiting to swoop down and rescue them if things went badly, she and Liam would be truly on their own. But what else could she do? Ditaeon needed them to help sort out this problem with the raider attacks, and the Tempest crew needed to visit Aya.

_ These nerves _ , she assured herself,  _ have nothing to do with the possibility of bumping into Reyes. Nothing at all. _

Sirius drew in a deep, steadying breath; she would be fine. They would only be in Kadara Port for a few hours before they caught a shuttle to Ditaeon, and Liam had promised to deal with Reyes while she talked to Keema. The chance of running into him was remote. 

Even still, she felt naked and exposed. The thought that she might bump into Reyes was enough to get her heart pumping. And even worse was the knowledge that, deep down, she  _ wanted  _ to see him again.

She missed him, badly. She missed every rotten thing about him. Reyes was like a drug which she was trying to ween herself off of, and she was terrified that if she saw him again, even for an instant, she would fold like a cheap card table and all her resolve to stay away from him would crumble.

"Ready to go?" Liam bounced down the ramp behind her, all smiles and exuberance.

"Sure," Sirius said without feeling, a horrible sense of foreboding growing within her. "Will you walk me to Keema's?"

Liam grinned. "Sure thing,  _ Ryder _ ."

She frowned at him; he seemed to be enjoying the fact that Lexi had ordered her to take several days off to rest, and that Cora was the temporary Pathfinder. Technically, she shouldn't have even been down here with him on Kadara, but she'd been going stir crazy on the Tempest. When Liam told her that the Outcast's had been attacking Ditaeon and Collective strongholds, her interests had been piqued and she'd allowed herself to be talked into coming along in a lesser role.

Anything was better than staying cloistered up on the Tempest and going mad with her own thoughts, that was for sure.

Sirius scanned the crowd relentlessly as she walked through the noisy streets, sure that Reyes would be here somewhere, certain that he would have come to see her. He'd always known when the Tempest docked, and that had been  _ before  _ he had taken over the Port. Surely he knew they were here now. Surely, given that he was still emailing her every day, he would have wanted to greet her. To see her face to face.

But ... he  _ wasn’t  _ here.

Her heart thumped hard.

What did that mean? Was he over her? Were the unopened emails actually just ... reports? Were they him telling her to go to hell for leaving? The thought hurt more than it should have, and she chased it away angrily, loathing herself for her inability to let go, for wanting Reyes to show up and make some big declaration of love.

"You okay?" Liam asked quietly as they walked. "You look-"

"I just don't want to see Reyes," she muttered, keeping her eyes down. Her leather jacket creaked as she crossed her arms. "I wish I'd brought a gun with me."

He snorted. "What? Are you going to shoot him if you see him?"

Sirius frowned. "I just feel naked."

"Well, the Port is very well protected these days so you’ll be fine. Anyway, you're a biotic, so you're never really unarmed. If you see Vidal and he tries anything you can always let loose with a few good biotic moves." Liam mimed a karate chop, and she rolled her eyes.

He walked her to the doors without further comment and then made to leave.

"Wait," Sirius caught his shoulder, aware that several Collective members were watching them curiously. She dropped her voice. "What are you going to say to Reyes if he asks about me?"

Liam wasn't quick enough to hide a shifty look. "What makes you think I'd say anything?"

" _ Liam _ ." She crossed her arms over her chest. "If he says something about me, just ... don't tell him anything, okay? I don't want him knowing what happened." Sirius scuffed her shoe into the ground, shame wriggling in her gut for how she’d broken down. "I know he hurt me and I kind of lost it there for a while, but he has enough on his plate without worrying about me. If he even would. I don't know. Maybe he's already moved on. But just ... I don't want him knowing that I lost it over him."

Her friend looked surprisingly guilty for a moment and cleared his throat. "I ... sure, Siri. I promise when I see Vidal today, I won't say anything about that. I just want you to be happy." He leaned forward and gave her a hug. "And hey, whatever happens on Kadara, just know that I have your back, okay?"

"Thanks." Sirius let him go and watched as he walked away, frowning slightly as he vanished into the crowd.

She had the strange, unshakable feeling that Liam was up to something.

Turning away, she pushed open the door to what had once been Sloane’s command building and walked in. The inside was pleasantly cool after the glaring sun, and she instinctively walked towards  _ the throne room _ . Keema was inside, though the room was vastly different to how Sirius remembered it. Sloane's throne had been removed and a business-like desk now sat in it’s place with the angaran behind it.

“Pathfinder, how good of you to come and see me,” Keema purred as she jumped up and stalked around the front of her desk, her feline eyes flashing in a not entirely friendly way.

“Keema,” Sirius greeted her in return, taking the cool welcome in her stride. Keema and Reyes were friends after all; she couldn’t expect her to be friendly after she’d walked away from both Reyes and the Collective.

The angaran leaned against her desk and smirked slightly. “I take it you  _ finally _ heard about the attacks on Ditaeon?”

“I did.” She inclined her head, wondering if the angaran would even help them or if she was about to be escorted out. “Any information you can give me would be appreciated.”

“So formal,” Keema murmured quietly, her mouth twitching. “Were you always this formal with Reyes? Oh but of course,” she feigned a look of surprise, “how silly of me, you and Reyes were quite,  _ quite  _ informal with each other.” She paused for dramatic effect and then laughed softly.

Sirius crossed her arms and shifted, a horrible sinking feeling building in her tummy. She grit her teeth as she realised the other woman was needling her deliberately. “Keema, I don’t want to talk about Reyes.”

“I bet.” Her smile widened. “Fine, we'll talk business then." She blinked and broke eye contact. "The Outlaw attacks have been increasing in frequency over the last few weeks, to the point where our forces are now stretched thin protecting Collective facilities, Kadara Port, and Ditaeon. They are well organised and well funded.” 

That surprised her. Naively she had assumed that with Sloane out of the way and the Collective in control, the Outlaws would sink into nothingness. Clearly this wasn't the case and they were putting up a fight. 

“Do you know who’s running the Outlaws now? Kaetus?” Sirius edged forward a little more, lifting a hand to shield her eyes from the glare steaming in through through the windows.

She could just make out the other woman as she shook her head. “No, we still have Kaetus in custody. Reyes is hoping we can convert him. Personally, I think Kaetus is a lost cause - he hates us too much for killing Sloane. But Reyes is stubborn.” Her luminous eyes fixed on her. “When he makes his mind up about something, or someone, it’s very hard to talk him out of it.”

Sirius had the feeling that Keema was talking about her again, and she glared. “What’s  _ that  _ supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” Keema trilled innocently as she strolled back behind her desk, and settled into the plush chair. “Only that if my mate turned their back on me and walked away after I had sacrificed so much to make the relationship work, I certainly wouldn’t waste my time chasing after them.” She steepled her fingers together, light from the windows dancing around her.

Sirius clenched her teeth, her jaw aching as she fought not to rise to the antagonism. “Reyes did  _ nothing  _ to make our relationship work-”

“Oh really?” The angaran laughed throatily. “Well then, you won’t mind me saying that he’s infinitely more focused on his work when you’re not around. Because when you were with him he was distracted.” Any trace of humour dried up. “When he was with you, he focused on you instead of the Collective, even though we needed him. He should have been focused on his own people instead of _you_. Maybe then she-” Keema bit off whatever she had been going to say with a growl and shook her head.  

There was enough anger in her tone to give Sirius pause, and her mind flashed onto the Collective agent who had been with Sloane the day she was assassinated. Had there been problems within the Collective? Was that woman behind his?

“You said  _ 'she' _ ? Are you talking about the Collective woman who was with Sloane when she was killed?”

Keema’s lip curled delicately. “Her name is  _ Dorado _ . And yes, we think she is one behind this. She knows the Collective’s major locations, she knows our numbers, and how we work. We’ve had to go into damage control since she defected.”

“And you think it wouldn’t have happened if Reyes wasn’t so focused on … me?” Sirius felt strange even suggesting it; Reyes had almost always been working when they were together. 

The angaran shrugged. “Who knows? There were problems and inconsistencies with the base Dorado worked out of before you showed up, but maybe he would have caught it if he hadn’t had his mind elsewhere?” 

She decided to ignore the barb. "Do you have much information on her?"

Keema shook her head and looked disgruntled. "Nothing helpful. We know that prior to joining the Initiative she worked for Cerberus as a scientist of some kind. I think it may have been work that involved animals and testing. Reyes said there was always something about her which seemed off, but he could never get a straight answer out of her. And now, well," she shrugged. "Now she is probably spending her time trying to kill us."

Sirius frowned. "But why? Why turn on the Collective?"

"Why do people do anything? Money, power, revenge. It could be any number of things." The angaran leaned back and surveyed her cattily. "I suppose we'll never know since you interfered that day and ruined Reyes plans."

_ Keema doesn’t know what she was talking about _ , Sirius thought. She hadn't ruined Reyes plans; Sloane had. It had been the other woman who had dragged her along and taken her hostage. The thought that Reyes hadn't even bothered to tell people the truth about what had happened depressed her, and a heavy feeling settled on her shoulders.

She decided to try a different line of questioning, to push the conversation away from Reyes. "Have you anything about the attacks that could help us? Anything at all?"

The angaran considered her through narrowed eyes and tapped a finger against her lips. "Reyes knows far more than I do, but I'd guess they're planning an attack soon. The Outlaw forces have been gathering near Ditaeon, and if they follow their usual pattern they could attack any day now."

That was more help than she'd been so far, and Sirius nodded her thanks.

"Thank you." She hesitated and then put her hand in her pocket and hesitantly pulled out a small box which she'd been carrying around all morning, weighing it in her hand. "Uh, can I ask a small favour?" She asked.

Maybe it was her hesitant tone, but the other woman's gaze softened slightly. "What?" She seemed more curious than hostile.

"Could you give this back to Reyes for me? He gave them to me as a gift and it doesn't seem right to keep them." She walked forward and placed the box on the desk, her heart thumping as she pushed it across the table towards the angaran. 

It hurt to let go of the bluebird earrings, but it was the right thing to do. 

_ … or so she kept telling herself. _

Keema stared at the box, her eyes hardening once more, then she slowly reached forward, picked it up and opened it. She released her breath in a slow hiss and her eyes flicked up to meet Sirius', glittering angrily.    
  


She spoke in a slow, deliberate voice. "This will break his heart you know."

Sirius swallowed. "We're not together anymore, and they're just some earrings he stole for me. I don't want to keep them when he-"

"Stole them?" Keema stood up incredulously, the chair skittering away from her. "Reyes had these made for you as a gift, and I should know, because fool that I was I helped him organise it."

_ Reyes had them made for her? _ She swallowed and thought of the morning that he'd given them to her, of the playfully casual way he'd presented them and told her that he'd come across them while on a job. He hadn't given so much as a hint that he'd gone through the trouble of having them made. Her heart began to hammer, and her stomach twisted itself in tighter knots, a horrible sinking feeling sweeping through her.

"He told me he found them-" Sirius started to say, and Keema interrupted with a laugh.

" _ Found them _ ?" she shrieked in disbelief. "Earrings of an  _ earth creature _ made with extremely rare  _ angaran metals _ just happened to be laying around  _ on Kadara _ ? And you believed him?"

She didn't know what to say, so she shrugged as the horrible feeling grew stronger inside of her; a tight squeezing in her chest as she thought about how much she'd loved the earrings, how much they'd meant to her, how much she'd loved her nickname. 

_ How much you miss hearing Reyes use it? _ A snide voice in the back of her mind piped up.

Tear prickled behind her eyes. "Why would he lie to me?"

"Because he’s as much an idiot as you are!" Keema thundered angrily. "Maybe he didn't know how much he cared about you, or maybe he didn't want you to know! Maybe didn't want other people finding out and using it against him. I don't know. But I do know that he had these made for you because he cared, and I won't be the one to throw them back in his face." Her anger twisted through the air like electricity, and Sirius straightened.

She held out her hands imploringly. "Keema, just give them back to him and-"

"No." She snapped the box shut and tossed it at Sirius, who caught it with numb hands, fumbling slightly. "If you want to give them back to him then stop being a coward, look him in the eye and give them back yourself." She glared at her, furious "Now get out."

Sirius didn’t have to be told twice. She wheeled around, embarrassed, as she stuffed the box back in her pocket. _ Keema was right _ , she realised as she hurried from the room, _ I am being a coward _ . 

She raced past the Collective guards, tears blurring her eyes as she pushed open the doors and hurried out into the bright Kadara sunlight ... and slammed into Liam who was on his way in. He caught her as she bounced off his chest and put a steadying hand on her arm.

"Hey, I was just coming to find you. Everything okay?" He asked.

She shook her head. "No, I mean yes. I mean ... I just want to get to Ditaeon."

"Good!" Liam tucked her arm around his and steered her in the direction of the port. "Because I spoke to Reyes and organised us a lift on a Collective shuttle. It's the last one leaving for a few hours though, so we need to hurry."

_ So Reyes hadn't even wanted to see her. _ Her heart sank for reason Sirius didn't want to think about, and she sighed. "Great."

"You  _ sure _ you're okay?"

She felt Liam glance at her, and faked a smile as she nodded. "Of course. I'm just ... I want to get out of here." A sick feeling squirmed in her stomach, something like disappointment. "Uh, did he say anything?"

"About you? Or the attacks on Ditaeon?"

Sirius bit the inside of her lip, and sighed.  There was no point trying to hide anything from Liam, especially since he knew how she felt about Reyes.

"Both."

"He knew about the attacks and passed on everything he knew and suspected. I uploaded a lot of the info to SAM and forwarded the info to Cora since you're still officially on a break." Liam grinned as she glowered. "And ... he asked how you were."

There was something evasive in his tone, and she narrowed her eyes. "Liam?" she pressed.

He sighed and hurried them towards the docks. "Look, he misses you, okay? And he's worried about you. I really think you should talk to him."

Sirius swallowed as the steel bands around her chest seemed to tighten. "Keema said the same thing," she muttered softly. "But-"

"But? Come on, Siri. I'm not dumb. You still have feelings for him."

She clenched her fists; was she that transparent? That stupid? Did everyone know that she was still half in love with Reyes?

"It doesn't matter, Liam. He hurt me, and even if part of me misses him, another part of me hates him for what he did." She pulled her arm out of his. "I just want to get this over with so we can get out of here, okay? Now drop it."

Liam gave her a weak smile. "You're the boss."

_ Except _ , she thought bitterly,  _ she wasn't the boss at the moment. _

The shuttle was a ahead of them, and he scooted her towards it. A vaguely familiar salarian stood beside the hatch with a clipboard; he glanced at them as they approached. Sirius recognised him as the Salarian who had been recruiting for the Collective in Kralla’s song back when she had first met Reyes.

"Ah, yes. Pathfinder." He gestured her aboard. "We have a space for you." His eyes landed on Liam and he frowned, holding up a hand to stop him. "No space for your, uh,  _ companion _ though. There is another shuttle in a few hours-"

Sirius stopped dead and turned on him. "Wait, what?" She faced Liam, her heart beginning to race. "I thought you said there was room for both of us?"

“That’s what Reyes said-”

"Mr Vidal was mistaken." The salarian interrupted Liam, his tone mildly amused. "Last minute wounded need transport to the facility at our base." He shrugged and turned back to Sirius. "Your friend can catch the transport tomorrow if the later one does not suit?"

She glowered. "We both need to go now. The business we have in Ditaeon is  _ urgent _ ."

“More urgent than lives?” He gestured towards the inside of the shuttle where she could see injured men and women slumped in their seats, and, feeling like a jerk, she shook her head and sighed.

"No."

"Siri." Liam caught her shoulders and gave her a gentle push towards the shuttle. "Just go. We need to deal with the attacks on Ditaeon sooner rather than later. I'll go back to Tartarus and catch the next shuttle, okay?"

Sirius nodded grumpily and pulled free from him, hating the amused grin on his face - as though he thought she were being childish. “Fine. I’ll go talk to Christmas. Just make sure you’re on the next transport.”

“You can count on me.” Liam winked and stepped back, giving her a little wave as the salarian ushered her into the dark interior of the shuttle.

She frowned. Something in her friend’s face seemed off, almost excited, as though he was looking forward to getting rid of her for a while, but the hatch closed before she could get a second look. Sirius tugged on her lower lip, deep in thought; if she had to guess, Liam actually looked  _ pleased _ about being separated from her for a few hours.

A horrible thought struck her;  _ was he going back to Tartarus to talk to Reyes about her? _

She hoped not.

Still frowning at the awful thought, Sirius strapped herself into the last free seat and sat quietly while the shuttle lifted off and headed into the badlands. She risked a glance out the tiny window and saw Kadara Port shrinking into the distance. She sighed, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach growing steadily stronger. Maybe she shouldn’t have been such a coward; maybe she could have just gone to see Reyes with Liam and spoken to him properly.

She reached into her pocket and closed a hand around the box containing the earrings, squeezing it tightly. All this time she’d thought they had been a flippant gift, something Reyes had seen while out on a job and picked up because they reminded him of her. But they’d been more. So much more. Time and thought and  _ love _ had gone into them.

But what did that mean?

She swallowed hard, forcing the horrible hollow feeling inside of her down as the shuttle began a descent. It was too late now; Kadara Port and Reyes were far behind her. They set down near the cave that housed the Collective base, and Sirius experienced a shiver as she remembered the last time she was here; the awful betrayal of discovering who Reyes really was, and the heartbreak she’d felt as she walked away from him.

She drew in a short breath and took her hand from her pocket, clenching both fists in her lap as the hatch opened and the other passengers began to shuffle out. Several of the Collective members carried out their injured comrades, and the official looking Salarian with the clipboard checked them all off as they went past him. Eventually they were the passengers left in the shuttle.

“Well,” he said and tucked the small clipboard away with a small smile. “That’s everyone. I’ll leave you two alone.”

_ … I’ll leave you two alone ... _

The words broke through her introspective silence, and Sirius’ head jerked up. “What?”

The salarian extended a finger towards the cockpit. “The pilot and yourself. This is my stop too.” He took a hasty step backwards and aimed a meaningful look at the front of the shuttle. “She’s all yours, Charlatan.”

Before she could say another word he stepped backwards and sealed the hatch, then gave it a sharp tap with what sounded like the butt of his gun. Sirius stared after him, then slowly turned and faced the cockpit of the shuttle.

Charlatan?

_ Reyes? _

For a moment she was seized by the mad desire to run away, to fling herself at the hatch, unbolt it, and follow the Collective members out into the badlands. But the desire passed as quickly as it had come, and instead a white hot fury flickered to life within her. Had Liam known about this? She wondered as she remembered his pleased expression. Or had Reyes planned this without him?

Angrily, she pushed forward into the cockpit and found Reyes flicking buttons and checking something to do with the fuel levels. He didn’t look up, but she’d have known his profile anywhere; the curve of his cheek, the line of his nose, and the fall of his bangs across his forehead. For a moment her angered flickered unsteadily, and something that felt horribly like longing rose up within her.

_ No! _ She screamed silently at the part of her that wanted him.  _ I don't love him anymore! _

“What the hell is this, Reyes?” Sirius snapped, glaring at him accusingly.

He didn’t even glance at her as he finished whatever he was doing and restarted the engines. “You should strap in. We have to fly over an area where the Outlaws are camped out to get to Ditaeon.”

“Strap in?” She straightened, staring at him as though he’d grown a second head or suggested she marry the Archon. “You think I’m going anywhere with you after you lured me in here under false pretences?”

Reyes sighed, his hands stilling on the buttons and a muscle tightened in his jaw. He eventually turned and looked at her, his eyes moving over every square inch of her face as though drinking in the sight of her. Finally he rubbed his eyes with one hand and pointed at the chair next to him. “Look, sit down and stop looming over me.” When she still didn’t sit he shrugged. “Suit yourself, loom away, but I  _ didn’t _ lure you here under false pretences. Liam asked me to fly you to Ditaeon, so I am. There isn’t anything sinister about this.”

“Liam said  _ you  _ organised the flight for both of us, and then your salarian friend said there wasn't room for Liam,” she accused.

Reyes shrugged, apparently unperturbed. “Then Liam lied.”

_ Dammit Liam! _

She narrowed her eyes. “Fine. He lied to me. Now tell me why the Charlatan is flying shuttles?”

“The Charlatan,” Reyes increased power to the engines and looked pointedly at the chair next to him as he took hold of the controls, “is back in Kadara Port. You spoke to her this morning. I’m Reyes Vidal, and sometimes I do favours for the Collective. Which includes transporting their people and cargo.”

She didn’t buy it. Not entirely. 

But Sirius drew in a deep breath and sat down slowly as he began to lift off. She strapped herself in with hands that felt strangely clumsy, a lot like they had this morning when Keema had tossed her box back to her. She fumbled with the belt twice before she finally clipped it into place and tightened it; she could feel Reyes staring at her and felt foolish.

“So that’s all this is? You're really just doing a favour?” She looked up and, sure enough, found him watching her.

“No.” Reyes gave her a meaningful look and smiled faintly. “I’m doing this because I wanted to talk to you.” He was quiet for a time, and Sirius watched his hands on the controls, saw his knuckles turn white as he gripped them tightly. _ Was he as nervous as she was?  _ Then he took a deep breath and glanced at her again. “I thought you were dead.”

His voice was pained, raw and grating, and Sirius swallowed as she met his eyes and saw the same aching loneliness in them that she saw in her own eyes every time she looked in the mirror.

“What do you mean?” She shifted uncomfortably on the chair, forcing herself to look away.

He sighed and set the autopilot. “Liam told me you’d died on the Archon’s ship. And I thought-” Reyes shook his head as if the memory was too much. “I know what you think of me, and I probably deserve it. But I am sorry that I kept things from you, that I hurt you, and I just want a chance to talk to you. To make sure you're okay.” He let out a sigh. “I miss you.”

Sirius didn’t say anything. She couldn’t past the lump in her throat. All she could bring herself to do was stare at Reyes and hope she didn’t do anything stupid like start crying again. She was so sick of crying. And she was so sick of lies. First Reyes and now Liam.

“I just want to get to Ditaeon,” she bit out eventually, her voice tight and unfriendly. Sirius wrapped her arms around herself. “I don’t want to hear excuses anymore.”

Reyes let out a soft snort. “Good, because I don’t have any for you. I’ve told you why I kept secrets from you, you can either believe me or not.” He shrugged and leaned back in his chair, his eyes appraising as he looked at her. “I’m more interested in talking about you. And about me. And about  _ us _ .”

“There is no us,” she snapped automatically, though her heart gave a lurch.

Reyes smiled, and it was his familiar cocky grin. “Well, not yet,” he leaned forward as the shuttle beeped and he flicked a switched. “But never say never, Bluebird.”

_ Bluebird.  _ Her heart lurched again.

“ _ Never _ , Reyes.”

To her irritation, he just chuckled. “Now you’re just being stubborn.”

She cleared her throat awkwardly and looked away, determined not to pay anymore attention to him. Though it was hard when he was sitting only a few inches away, and even harder when a large part of her was screaming at her to talk to Reyes. To tell him how she felt, how much she had missed him. How much he had hurt her, and how she still wanted to be with him.

All she had to do was open her mouth and talk to him.

_ It was so easy. _

_ So simple. _

_ Such a small thing really. _

Sirius let out a breath and turned to him. “Reyes-”

A loud squeal from the terminal interrupted her, and Reyes shot forward before he could reply, his hands flying over the controls as an alarm sounded from overhead and something smashed into the side of the shuttle. They were thrown sideways as a series of smaller rattling noises that sounded like gunfire sounded against the side of the shuttle, and then something smashed into them again and black smoke issued from one engine.

“Shit!” Reyes reached over and grabbed her harness, testing it and making sure she was buckled in before he looked up and met her eyes. There was real fear in them, though he quickly covered it up with what she supposed he thought was a reassuring grin. "Hold on, okay?"

“Was that gunfire?” She asked, leaning forward and looking at the controls as though they would answer for him.

He nodded. “And some anti-aircraft missiles from the feel of it. They're aiming for the engines.” The shuttle was lurching and shaking dangerously, and Reyes was fighting to keep them level as they dropped. “Fucking Outlaws!” he snarled angrily.

“Outaws?” Sirius instantly felt for a gun, but of course she didn’t have one. “Reyes, are we going to be-”

“I can get us down,” he reassured her, though he kept his eyes on the controls. “It won’t be a pretty landing, but we’ll be fine. We just have to make sure that our people find us before they do.”

Sirius nodded and clutched the arms of her chair, fear crawling through her and manifesting itself in small prickles of biotic energy which danced over her skin. The Shuttle jostled and she let out a small yip of fear, the girly sound escaping before she could bite it back. But it was hard not to be afraid when the badlands were sweeping along below them so quickly it made her nauseous.

She drew in a breath as one side of the shuttle dipped suddenly, and she clutched the arms of her chair tighter as the shuttle lurched and dropped. “Reyes?” she all but screamed his name as the shuttle veered violently sideways before he got it under control again.

“I’ve got it,” he yelled back, his voice almost lost amongst the cacophony of alarms and shrieks of wind gusts in the shuttle. “It’ll be okay Sirius. Trust me. It’ll be-”

Whatever he’d been about to say was drowned out as the shuttle hit the ground with a shriek of metal on stone, and they were both flung violently forwards in their seats as they bounced. Despite the harness, Sirius slammed into the dash and saw stars as her forehead connected with something hard. Explosions of bright white light blinded her as pain shot through her head, and, dazed, she slumped sideways, and got only snatches after that; the smell of blood, Reyes calling her name, and the sensation of very strong arms lifting and carrying her.

Then there was nothing but blackness for a very long time.

* * *

 

_ A/N - Dammit Liam! Your plans never work out and always go wrong! Hopefully Sirius and Reyes will be okay. Meep. The next chapter will be out soon and has some great art to go with it. Oh, and I’d love to know what you thought of this chapter - so feel free to drop me a review! :) _


	11. Chapter 11

_ A/N - Apologies with the delay. I know the length was inexcusable, but I've been super busy as I'm moving home - finally! After 10 months in emergency accommodation while our insurance company repairs our house, I'm finally moving home! I'm also leaving on a trip to America on Friday and I'm really excited! Anyway, thank you so much to everyone reading along - especially to those wonderful people who reviewed the last chapter. Holy heck - you guys made me grin so much! I don't know if you know how much your comments mean to me, but they keep me writing on those bad days! So thank you!  _

_ And now ... we return to Sirius and Reyes, who have just crashed in the badlands ... _

* * *

 

Sirius groaned as splinters of light danced over her face and sunk red hot needles of pain into her closed eyelids. The agony pierced the fog of blackness that had swallowed her, dragged her back to the waking world, and she clumsily flung a hand across her eyes, groaning. Everything hurt, and her head throbbed in time to her heartbeat; as though her brain were trying to crawl out of her skull.

She whimpered, trying to block out the light, and rolled over, burying her face on something soft and catching the hint of a familiar scent; of whiskey, gun smoke, and a heady masculine aftershave that sent butterflies fluttering through her tummy. An ache spread through her, a yearning for something she keenly missed.

_ Reyes. _

Despite the pain, she breathed deeply and burrowed against the soft material under her head, her mind whirling as she tried to think what was going on. She’d been on a shuttle and Reyes had been there, but …  _ they’d been shot down _ . She could feel a good sized lump on her forehead and surmised that she’d hit her head hard enough to knock herself out.

“SAM?” Sirius asked quietly. “What happened?”

_ Your shuttle was shot down by Outcast raiders. Mr Vidal was able to crash land, but your harness broke on impact and you were knocked unconscious. _

Sirius huffed and gingerly prodded the lump on her head. It throbbed in response, and she winced and tried opening her eyes again. This time they didn’t hurt so much, and she blinked and glanced around to get her bearings; she was lying in the back of the shuttle. 

She rubbed her eyes as they watered in the bright light, and pulled a face as her fingers came away with flakes of dried blood stuck to them. “Unconscious, huh? No shit. Want to tell me something I don’t know?”

_ You’ve been unconscious for almost two hours now. _ SAM paused, and then added almost smugly.  _ Mr Vidal seems very concerned with your safety. _

Sirius snorted. “I bet. Probably worried the Initiative will pull Ditaeon off Kadara if I die.”

_ Unlikely. His heartrate and blood pressure indicated extreme panic when he realised you were hurt. He even gave you his vest and jacket to ensure you were comfortable once he established you were not in danger,  _ the AI pointed out in the tone of someone who was talking to an idiot.  _ And he’s outside planting security sensors to prevent any Outcasts from sneaking up on this position. I believe Mr Videl still has feelings for you. _

“Oh shut up, SAM.” Sirius could feel her cheeks burning from his gentle teasing. She cleared her throat. “Security sensors? Does that mean a rescue is coming?” She managed to sit up, and her stomach did a small flip as she realised that Reyes  _ had  _ placed his vest and jacket under her head.

Did that mean he cared about her? 

“A rescue will come. Eventually.” To her surprise it wasn’t SAM who answered, and she jumped as Reyes swung into the open shuttle hatch, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to reveal muscular forearms streaked with blood, dirt and what looked like engine grease. He grinned. “I’m glad to see you're awake; I was worried. You took quite a knock to the head.”

Sirius’ mouth ran dry as he knelt beside her and took her face in his hands, examining the lump on her head with a practised ease which suggested he’d been checking up on her often. His tawny eyes were dark with concern and his fingers were gentle as they traced the wound. After a moment his gaze dropped to hers, and her body clenched with need at the familiar look in his eyes.

Time seemed to stretch endlessly as he stared down at her, but to Sirius’ surprise, Reyes only gave her cheek a gentle caress before he rocked back on his heels and put some space between them. “Luckily you look like you’re okay.” His lips quirked. “The benefit of having a thick head, I suppose.”

“A thick …! Oh, shut up.” Sirius shoved him away and got to her feet, accepting his outstretched hand as a wave of dizziness rushed over her.  

“Take it easy, Bluebird. You need to rest.”

She flashed him a warning look. “I’m  _ fine _ . What I need it to get this blood off me.” Sirius glanced down at her shirt which was soaked in dried blood. She could feel it stuck to her face and neck too, and she scrubbed at a dried patch on her wrist. “Do you have water and a cloth?”

“Uh, well, about that,” Reyes cast a considering look at her, his tone careful, as though he expected her to explode at any moment. “This wasn’t exactly planned, and I don’t have gallons of water and oodles of food on hand. The supplies on this shuttle are limited.  _ Very  _ limited.”

Sirius blinked. “Did … did you just use the word  _ oodles _ ?”

He sighed, exasperated. “Either you hit your head harder than I thought, or-”

“I’m sorry, I  _ am _ taking this seriously. I swear.” She cleared her throat to dispel the slightly hysterical giggle threatening to bust out. “So, what you’re saying is that we don’t have much food or water?”

Reyes shook his head, confirming the worst, and the giggle died away completely. “A few ration bars and a some water rations, maybe two litres in total. And that’s it.” A look of embarrassment flashed over his face. “Believe me, if I’d known this was a possibility I would have ensured the shuttle was better stocked.”

“We’ll make do.”  Sirius peeled some of the dried blood off herself. “Besides, it’s not like anyone is going to care if I look like a mess.”

“You don’t look like a mess, you look lovely.” Reyes looked surprised at himself, as though he’d spoken without meaning to, and he flushed when she looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Well,” one corner of his mouth raised slightly. “You  _ do _ .”

Sirius shook her head. “Now who’s not taking this seriously?” She rubbed some of the dried blood off her face and grimaced, trying to stifle the absurd flutters in her stomach at the way he was watching her. She needed to focus. “I don’t suppose you know where we are?”

He shook his head, and SAM piped up. 

_ You are located an approximate two day walk from Diteaon,  _ he told her.  _ Though, some kind of signal in this region is preventing me from calling in our location for a rescue, and I cannot get an exact reading on our location. Mr Vidal had similar trouble when he tried to use the shuttle radio earlier. I assume the Outlaws are using a signal to disrupt communication. _

“Brilliant.” She swallowed hard and tried not to think of the last time that she’d been stuck in the badlands with a signal preventing her from calling in help, though the scars on her arm prickled in memory, and she rubbed at them absently. “Thanks SAM.”

“And SAM said what exactly … ?” Reyes inquired pointedly.

Sirius moved towards the shuttle’s hatch where pinkish light flooded in. “He told me about the signal disrupting our communication.” 

The sun had sunk low on the horizon when she stepped out, and the view momentarily stole her breath as she took in the brilliant colours painted across the sky. She drew a deep breath and let it out slowly, her head and neck aching, and her internal alarm all too aware of Reyes as he stepped up beside her.

“We’ll be okay,” he said suddenly, and she saw him glance sideways at her, his face concerned. “I know what you’re thinking, and I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Sirius continued to watch the sunset and didn’t meet his eyes as she wrapped her arms around herself. “You don’t have a clue what I’m thinking.”

Reyes moved a little closer, and his shoulder brushed hers. “You’re stuck in the badlands with a dampening signal preventing you from calling for help. I’m not stupid. I know what this must remind you of.” He lifted a hand and hesitated, not quite touching her shoulder, though he obviously wanted to. 

Sirius sighed and turned to face him, moving her shoulder before he could make up his mind to touch her. “There is that,” she agreed, a chill slithering down her spine at the thought of being at someone’s mercy like that again.  “But there’s also  _ you _ .”

“Me.” He blinked and his eyes searched hers, his expression hardening. “I just wanted to give us a chance to talk, but you’d cut yourself off from me. And when Liam suggested-”

“Liam.” Sirius scowled. “I’ll be having words with him when I see him next.”

Reyes grinned suddenly. “Don’t be too hard on him. He’s worried about you, and he means well. Although,” he looked thoughtful, “he  _ did _ let me think you were dead for about 30 seconds, so maybe you should be hard on him. “

She winced. “What exactly did he tell you about the situation on the Archon’s ship?”

“Oh, not much; he spared me the details. He just called me up and told me you had died.” Reyes tried to smile, tried to act nonchalant, but the smile frayed around the edges, and it didn’t reach his eyes. Instead there was something haunted in his features, something almost broken. 

They stared at each other for a heartbeat, and then Reyes stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. He buried his face in her neck, breathing deep, and held her tightly. There was nothing sexual in the embrace, no wandering hands or subtle pressing of his hips to hers. 

He just held onto her tightly, as though worried she would slip away.

Neither of them spoke for a time after they broke apart silently, and Sirius watched the shadows lengthen on the ground, her mind whirling. When she had walked away from Reyes’ she’d been angry and hurt, and part of her still felt that way. The hurt and the embarrassment of being used and betrayed wasn't something that faded  easily, but under all of it … she’d missed him. 

She missed Reyes badly, and couldn’t pretend otherwise.

The way she was feeling now wasn’t just about Reyes though. The hollow feeling in her chest had been there since her mother passed away, and it had grown a little wider when her father died. She’d left her home and come to Andromeda looking for excitement and a way to fill the void … but by doing that she’d left her friends behind, and it had only dawned on her recently that by now all of her friends would be long dead. They would have lived happy lives, would have fallen in love, achieved their dreams, maybe even had children of their own.

And she was here in Andromeda.

_ Alone _ .

Part of her, some tiny nagging voice, seized on that line of thinking. Asked her if that was the reason she’d jumped into a relationship with Reyes so fast, if that was why she had allowed herself to fall so hard and fast with him; out of a desperate need to be with someone. To ease the loneliness she hadn’t even known she was feeling.

Sirius sighed.

If that was the case though, if he’d been a distraction from her loneliness, then why did she still feel so drawn to him? Why did her heart leap in her chest and her tummy fill with flutters when he looked at her? Why did every fibre of her being want to reach out and touch him? Why did she want to give into the impulse to curl into his arms and forgive him for lying to her?

Reyes cleared his throat, breaking the silence. “I’m going to get started on a fire. The nights are freezing at this time of the year, and we need to keep warm.”

Sirius started. “A fire? What if the Outcast-”

“They’ll know we’re here already,” he said simply. “If they attack us, all we can do is be ready for them. And besides, a fire will let other people know where we are as well. People who are  _ looking _ for us.” He reached for her hand with a reassuring smile. “I’ve planted sensors around the campsite so we’ll know if anyone is approaching, and your SAM can scan for approaching life forms, can he not?”

She nodded.

“Then we can take turns keeping watching during the night. We’ll be fine.” Reyes squeezed her hand and moved off to start the fire. 

Sirius watched him go, something deep in her heart screaming at her to go after him, to get as close to him as she could. Instead she forced herself to go back into the shuttle to look for their dinner, rationed as it was. She found some thermal blankets and dug out one of the flat foil packets of water, and two ration bars. 

By the time she was finished and came back out, Reyes had a fire going, and the low crackling flames were dancing merrily as he fed twigs into them. She paused in the shuttle hatch and took a deep breath, the sight of him cast in firelight stopping her in her tracks. Longing wrapped long warm tendrils around her body, squeezing faintly, and she let her breath out shakily as she forced herself to step out into the night air.

Why did he have to be so handsome?

Why did she have to love him so damned much?

Angry with herself, Sirius flung the blankets down on a rock, and dropped down huffily on them. Reyes looked up at her, an eyebrow raised.

“Everything okay?”

“Peachy.” She ripped open a ration bar and gnawed a chunk off, her lip curling at the cardboard-like taste and texture.

Reyes placed some larger pieces of wood into the fire and then settled down across from her. Sirius tossed him rations and then settled back, sipping on water to try and soften the stale bar as she choked it down. Her head thumped as she ate, and eventually she gave it up as a bad job and  set the rest of her uneaten bar down.

She rubbed the back of her neck and her temples, wishing the painful thumping would ease off a little bit.

“You okay?” Reyes finished eating, crumpled his wrapper, and tossed it into the fire. “I can get some more painkillers if you need them? Or,” his eyes twinkled, “I can always give you a massage?”

Sirius rolled her eyes. “The painkillers will be fine. My neck is hurting, and my head feels like someone took a baseball bat to it.”

“I’m on it.”

He hefted himself to his feet and vanished into the shuttle, reappearing with painkillers, medigel, and a bottle of whiskey. He handed her the painkillers and medigel, and settled himself back on the other side of the fire with the whiskey as she tossed the pills in her mouth and swallowed them down.

“Don’t I get any?” Sirius asked, gesturing at the bottle with one hand as she rubbed medigel into the egg on her head with the other.

Reyes grinned. “Nope. This is only for those of us without head injuries.”

She glowered at him. “Typical. You’re such a tease.”

His grin widened and he made a big show of putting the whiskey down without having any. “Fine. But I’ll have you know that there isn’t anyone else who I would give up my nightcap for. Only you.”

Sirius swallowed. His words, and the light dancing in his eyes, sent another wave of flutters through her stomach. Reyes’ eyes glowed like embers in the dying light of the fire, and the flickering shadows cast from the flames danced across his features; throwing his face half in shadow. 

_ He really is as handsome as I remember him, _ Sirius thought as her eyes roved over his features,  _ maybe even more so _ . 

He reclined back against his rock and watched her just as intently, the inky-black night wrapping tight around them, cocooning them together. Their eyes met, his golden gaze locking with her biotic blue one, and for the longest time Sirius couldn’t seem to look away, to break that link. It were as though a spell had been cast over both of them, and the pretense she had been keeping up of staying professional and keeping her distance was melting away fast under the starry sky and the endless stretch of barren wastes. 

They were alone together, and she was helplessly,  _ hopelessly _ , aware of it.

_ It was fitting _ , she thought as she watched the darkness and light chase each other across the curve of Reyes’ cheek and the fullness of his lips,  _ for him to always be half in the shadows _ . She doubted he knew how to operate without keeping his true motives concealed from the people around him. But maybe that was just who he was. Maybe that secretive side of him was a part of Reyes’ nature that she needed to embrace if she wanted to be part of his life again.

Her breath caught.

_ Was that what she wanted? To be part of his life again? _

The pain of his betrayal still stung like salt in an open wound, and her stomach twisted with remembered humiliation; she’d laid herself bare to him, had fallen in love with him, had been honest and open with him, but Reyes had only ever given her half of himself. He was like a tarnished coin found half buried in sand; all she’d seen was the shiny side lying sun up. She’d been blind to his faults. Blind to his imperfections. Blind to everything but that which he had wanted her to see. 

Reyes had successfully kept his darker side hidden from her until the damage was done and he had wormed his way into her heart.

So why did he still take her breath away?

Why did she still  _ love _ him?

Bitterly, Sirius made herself look away from his face and into the flames.  _ He probably laughed at me the whole time we were together _ , she thought sourly, clinging to her anger when he turned his head at an especially attractive angle and caught her attention again; plainly continuing to watch her with the same intense look. All she had probably ever been to him was a pawn in his power play for Kadara; a Pathfinder who was easily manipulated and susceptible to his charms.

But if that was true … why was he still chasing her? Why did he want to patch things up?

_ You would have supported him anyway _ , a tiny voice reminded her.  _ Even if you hadn’t fallen in love with him, you would have supported him against Sloane.   _

She sighed and poked at the fire with a stick. It was true, and more so was the pity. Reyes could have been honest with her and she still would have been by his side supporting him. He hadn’t needed to seduce her. To  _ use  _ her. She’d wanted to get rid of Sloane, and she’d wanted to be by Reyes’ side.

Sirius’ eyes prickled with tears and she tossed the stick aside as confusion rolled through her in waves. He’d said that he wanted to protect her, that he’d been scared of losing her, but surely he’d known what his lies would do to them? Surely he’d known deep down that being honest with her was better than feeding her lies and hiding the truth?

“Thank you.” Reyes spoke softly, breaking the silence so abruptly that for a moment Sirius wasn’t even sure if he’d really spoken or if she’d imagined it. “I know you didn’t want to see me again after what happened,” he continued after a moment, “so thank you for not walking off the shuttle as soon as you saw me. For giving us the chance to talk.”

She nodded stiffly, not trusting herself to speak as her throat burned with words of hurt that she yearned to hurl at him.  _ I trusted you. I loved you. How could you? Why didn’t you trust me? _

“I know you don’t believe me after I lied to you so often, but I meant what I said the day you left; I only lied because I was scared of losing you-”

A sharp bark of angry laughter escaped before Sirius could hold it back. “Well, that worked out great for you, didn’t it?” she snapped, curling her legs up to her chest protectively and wrapping her arms around them.

Reyes smiled sadly and looked down into the flames. “I was selfish,” he said simply, and he rubbed his eyes in exhaustion. “I try not to have regrets and I don’t like feeling guilty, but … I wish I could go back and be honest with you. I miss you, Siri, and my biggest regret is hiding the truth.” He met her eyes again, the molten colours shifting with the flames. “I know I hurt you and I don’t deserve a second chance, but I still feel the same as I always did. I don’t want to give up on us. I tried giving you space and respecting that you walked away, but ... _ I can’t _ . I fucked up, I know I did, but I want to prove how much you mean to me.” 

His voice rung with the passion of his statement, and Sirius swallowed, her heart lurching at the familiar way he was watching her and at the small catch in his breath when she didn’t reply. Their eyes met across the fire and the moment seemed to stretch, longer and longer as they watched one another, until just for an instant the impossible didn’t seem so impossible. Until it seemed as though she could reach out and touch Reyes, forgive him, and everything would be like it was.

Then an animal roared in the distance and Sirius snapped back to reality. Furious at herself, she beat the futile thought down, cramming the hope and desperate lonely longing back inside where it belonged. 

“And if it’s too late?” she asked, her nails digging into her palms, the pain helping to ground her as she waited for his reply; her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

Reyes gave her a determined smile that made her poor heart hammer, then pushed himself to his feet. “I’m a romantic, Bluebird. I came hundreds of years and all the way to a new galaxy chasing my dreams.” He gave her a long look, something other than firelight burning in his eyes. “Besides, it’s never too late for love, and maybe I didn’t say it when I should have, but I’m going to say it now-”

“... Reyes.” Sirius breathed his name shakily, and her eyes widened as Reyes moved around the fire and knelt in front of her. He took her hands and smiled lopsidedly as their fingers meshed.

“I love you,” he told her quietly, his voice husky with emotion. “I’ve loved you for a long, long time, and I’m not giving up on us.” Before Sirius could say anything, he leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss against her cheek, his lips warm and soft. “Good night, Bluebird. You can take first watch since I know you won’t sleep now.” He grinned as he pulled back, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. “Wake me in a few hours.”

He melted into the shadows before she could reply, and Sirius was left gaping in the flickering light staring after him. Her heart fluttered, her mouth ran dry, and her thoughts tumbled uselessly over each other as she flopped backwards into the sand and stared up into the endless Andromeda sky. A single thought managed to worm through her tangled brain to land with ringing clarity in her thoughts. 

_ Reyes loves me. _

* * *

The shadows inside the shuttle folded neatly around Reyes like an old friend, wrapping almost as tightly around him as the thermal blanket he tucked around his body. He lay with his vest pillowed under his head and watched Sirius as she settled herself against rock, the light from the fire flickering over her face; shadows and light chasing themselves across her features. Her eyes glowed softly, her expression thoughtful as she stared into the flames as though spellbound.

He yearned to go back to the circle of light and join her; to pull her close, and hold her tight. He wanted to breathe in that wonderful spicy biotic scent that was inexplicably linked to  _ Sirius  _ in his mind _. _ He desperately needed to her to say that she understood why he hadn’t told her the truth, that she knew why he had kept things from her.

But more than anything, he wanted her to look at him the way she used to, with that playful light in her eyes and that smile on her lips. He’d seen hints of it today despite the shuttle crash and her fury at discovering that Liam had hoodwinked her; small smiles and flashes of warmth when she looked at him. Moments when he had been sure there was hope for them, when he was certain that the gap between them wasn’t as unbridgeable as he had feared.

Sirius leaned forward and prodded the fire with a stick, sending a shower of sparks spiraling up into the blue-black night sky. Her eyes followed the embers as they danced into dark, and she smiled slightly. Reyes frowned, watching as she reached into the pocket of her jacket and removed a small velvet box. She turned it over in her hands for several long moments, seeming to think something over before she made up her mind with a small nod

He couldn’t see what she took out of the box as she leaned forward and her hair fell like a curtain to block his view, but when Sirius straightened up again Reyes saw a flash of blue twinkling in her ear. He sat up before he could stop himself, his heart pounding as he saw the shape of a tiny bluebird shining in her ear. Excitement and hope burst inside of him with a technicolour flash, and he grinned happily, curling his hands into triumphant fists in his pockets to stop himself from flailing about and making a scene.

_ His earrings! She was wearing his earrings again! _

Reyes let out a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding as he rolled over and grinned at the ceiling of the shuttle, a weight lifting from his chest. They still had a long way to go before they patched things up, any idiot could see that, but he had gone out on a limb tonight and bared his heart to Sirius and it had clearly been the right move. He loved her, and now he was certain that she still loved him; even if she was still angry at him for lying to her.

His bluebird had come home.

* * *

_A/N - *wiggles with excitement* I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Reyes loves her and he's going to fight to win her back to his side. But ... of course they're still in the badlands and they have Outlaws bearing down on them. So things won't be all fun and game! ;) I'd love to know what you thought of this chapter too!_


	12. Chapter 12

 

_A/N - Thank you to everyone who read my last chapter, especially to the wonderful people who reviewed! You brighten my day with your comments, and I'm so glad you enjoyed the final scene with Reyes getting excited about Sirius putting in the Bluebird earrings. I am finally back from my trip to the USA, and I had an amazing time and caught up with several friends - including some friends who I met through writing ME fanfic. ^_^ Anyhoo, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I've already started on the next chapter! (Art for this chapter is by Seigl)_

* * *

 

 

Sirius woke cold, uncomfortable, and stiff the following morning. Her head thumped as though she had a hangover, and she groaned as she rolled to a sitting position. She clutched at her pounding temples, feeling infinitely worse than she had the previous day, and took a moment to orientate herself.

The metal floor of the shuttle was cold and hard, and her limbs violently protested about being put to use after their night on the floor. Reyes had lent her his vest and jacket as a pillow again, so at least her head had been saved the pain of the freezing cold flooring, but the blow to the head she'd suffered the day before was more than making up for it.

_Reyes._

He'd offered to let her sleep by the fire with him last night, warning her that the shuttle was uncomfortable and cold. His eyes had danced playfully when he'd made the suggestion, adding quietly that perhaps _he_ could even help keep her warm. Sirius was pretty sure he hadn't been serious, but part of her had been tempted to take him up on the offer. With the stars sparkling overhead and the warmth of the fire nearby, she'd been reluctant to retire to the lonely darkness of the shuttle.

Groaning, she got to her feet and picked up Reyes' clothes, dusting them off and hooking them over her arm as she staggered out of the shuttle. Sunlight streamed down cheerfully, and she glared hatefully at the sunny landscape, wishing desperately for a pair of dark sunglasses. Or maybe a nice cool drink of water; her mouth felt dry and the pounding in her head made everything a hundred times worse.

"Morning, Bluebird."

Her heart leapt as Reyes appeared from around the side of the shuttle, and a moment later her mouth ran dry for a whole other reason as he stepped out fully; shirtless and appearing to have recently taken a dip in water. His hair sat in an untidy mop on his head, damp and dishevelled, and his pants hung low on his hips. Without meaning to, her gaze drifted down his chest, trickling over his muscles and following the light dusting of hair that vanished into his waistband.

Reyes coughed, amusement clear in his tone. " _Morning_."

Realising she hadn't responded to his greeting, and blushing furiously, Sirius cleared her throat. "Uh, good morning."

He grinned, evidently amused, and gestured with a thumb over his shoulder. "There's a hot spring not too far away which you can clean all that blood off in. I found it this morning while I was checking the sensors and walking the perimeter. It's no good for drinking unless I clean it up with some purification tablets, but it's good enough to wash in." His smile widened, his teeth glimmering as he squeezed some excess water from his hair and then dragged his hands down his chest, Sirius' eyes helplessly following the movement. "Refreshing too."

"I ... uh … ." She tore her eyes away, willing the blood from her face, hating that he did this to her, yet perversely pleased with his continued attention. "I guess I could go clean up. But don't peek or anything!"

Reyes looked insulted. "Peek? Never! I'm a model gentleman!"

"A model _gentleman_?" Sirius laughed before she could stop herself. "Reyes, you're a lot of things, but we both know a gentleman isn't one of them."

His smile turned sly and he raised his eyebrows as he stepped towards her, beaded water glistening on his skin. "Ah, but for you, Bluebird, I would try."

Sirius shook her head and returned his smile as he caught her hand with his, squeezing her fingers tightly. Warmth spread through her body, and when she didn't pull away, Reyes reached up and tucked her long dark hair behind her ear, softly stroking a finger against the bluebird gleaming in her ear. His tawny eyes fixed on hers and he moved closer still, his eyes falling to her lips as his fingers ghosted along the curve of her jaw and he tilted her face up to his.

With a small sigh she gave in to the need to melt against him, to feel his body under her hands once more. Her eyes fluttered shut as Reyes leaned close, his breath warm on her skin. Desire stirred in her belly, and the hurt and anger that had been boiling inside of her for so long seemed to finally fade away.

His lips pressed against hers in a soft, almost chaste kiss, the sweetness of the gesture leaving Sirius reeling. Reyes hesitated, his mouth over hers, their breath momentarily mingling, before he stepped back as though not trusting himself to stay so close to her. She blinked, opening her eyes, and found him watching her with a pleased expression on his face, his eyes low lidded with arousal, and a faint blush colouring his cheeks.

"See?" he said huskily, squeezing her fingers. "A model gentleman."

Sirius stepped back as Reyes released her hand, and with a grin she turned and headed in the direction of the springs he had talked of, feeling his eyes on her. Her thoughts buzzed through her mind like so many bees, turning over and over as she struggled to make sense of what had just happened.

Reyes had kissed her, she could still feel the pressure of his mouth on hers, but more than that; _she had wanted him to._ Absently, Sirius touched her lips, still smiling as she reached the springs and stripped off, peering into the turquoise pools.

“SAM? Are these pools safe to swim in?”

_Affirmative, Pathfinder, Mr. Vidal spoke the truth. The acidity level in the water is now at tolerable levels and is safe for you to swim in, though drinking it without filtering would be inadvisable._

“I'll keep that in mind, thanks.”

She gingerly stuck a toe into the water, half-expecting it to burn and sear despite SAM and Reyes' affirmations. Instead, it felt wonderfully warm and welcoming, and with a small sigh of satisfaction she slipped into the water. The warm spring water felt like heaven as it engulfed her, soothing away the aches and pains of the previous night, and warming up her chilled flesh.

The temptation to linger in the spring and soak in the warmth was strong, and she half-heartedly wondered if Reyes would come looking for her if she stayed in too long. Perhaps the sight of her swimming naked would tempt him back in and he would kiss her again, his strong arms winding around her as he pressed close … .

Lost in a fantasy, she absently scrubbed the dried blood from her skin, ignoring the voice that reminded her that only yesterday she would have slapped him for kissing her. Despite her active imagination, she didn't dally in the pool for too long, and once she'd washed away the blood and fatigue from the previous day, she dunked herself under once, and then climbed out.

A towel would have been nice, but she pulled on her civilian clothes while she was dripping wet; her Alliance pants and tank top looking battered and dirty. The nights might be chilly on Kadara, but the day time temperature would soar and she'd soon be dry. In fact, the sun was already starting to beat down, and Sirius slung her favourite leather jacket over her shoulder instead of wearing it as she usually did.

She sniffed as she twisted her hair into a knot, squeezing the excess water out, and frowned as a familiar scent reached her. _Coffee?_ Was she hallucinating? Had she hit her head harder than she'd thought? Maybe there had been something wrong with that spring after all!

“You're back!” Reyes looked up as she rounded the corner of the shuttle, he looked positively bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as he crouched by the fire.

 _And_ , Sirius noted wryly, _he still hadn't put his shirt back on_.

“I'm back,” she agreed, “and unless my nose is mistaken, I smell coffee?”

He grinned. “I found some instant mixed in with the rations. It's not much, but it's better than nothing. The only problem is,” Reyes drawled the last word as he got to his feet, his eyes dancing as he drank in the sight of her. “There's only one cup, and I'm currently using it.”

He took a sip of the coffee and made a show of savouring it, dancing back when Sirius made to snatch it from him.

“There better be enough coffee for me to have a cup when you're done,” she complained, giving up on the coffee and smiling at their playful start to the morning.

Reyes nodded. “Of course! What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't share?”

She gave him a look that said he didn't want her to answer, and Reyes laughed appreciatively, his laugh trailing off as he caught sight of her scarred arm. Thanks to Lexi's efforts the scars had healed faster than the otherwise would have. They were paler and slightly faded now, instead of shiny and pink as they had been the last time he had seen them, but they were still shocking.

The scars around her wrists were all people usually saw, and they were bad enough, but today Reyes could see everything. The slashes down her arm, the scarring around her wrists, the checker-board pattern where her torturer had started to skin her … and _the tattoo!_

Aghast, Sirius looked down and saw Reyes' eyes were fixed on the sinuous black snake that Peebee had convinced her to get inked over the worst of the scars on her forearm. At the time it had seemed like a good idea: the scars were Reyes' fault and he was a snake, poisonous and sneaky. Getting a snake tattoo would remind her never to trust the bastard again, or so Peebee had told her, and she'd drunkenly agreed to it.

Hastily, she pulled her arm tight to her body, self-consciously placing a hand over the body of the snake as her cheeks burned and her stomach turned in horror. _God_. What would Reyes think of her now? A small voice in the back of her head asked her why she cared, but she ignored it; she knew full well why she cared.

_Because I still love him._

“That's new,” Reyes said after a moments silence, his voice a little rougher than usual, his accent thicker. “The snake tattoo, I mean.”

Sirius nodded. “Yeah.”

“You called me a snake,” he added eventually, and his eyes found hers, a pained expression on his face. “Sirius-”

She stepped aware from him and shook her head. “I got it when I was drunk and angry. Peebee convinced me. It doesn't mean anything.” Her voice sounded remarkably calm and in control, though she clutched the tattoo so tightly that her nails almost drew blood. “It's nothing. It's a mistake.”

Reyes was quiet for a moment longer, then he let out a small laugh and his entire demeanour changed, _lightened_. “You got a tattoo for me, Bluebird, I'm … honoured.”

Her head whipped around; instead of looking angry, Reyes looked pleased. “What? You're not angry?”

“Angry?” He grinned. “Surprised perhaps, but not angry. Though I would have preferred you to get Anubis to represent me, or perhaps a wolf or jackal. Maybe a fox? But you aren't the first person to tell me I have something in common with our slithery friends, so I'll let that slide.” His smile widened. “I suppose this means I should get a tattoo for you too, so we can make this thing official. A bluebird of course-”

“Reyes!” Sirius' cheeks flamed harder, but he just casually sipped his coffee and smirked.

“Getting a tattoo is a big commitment, _mi reina_. I had no idea you were this serious about us-”

She groaned. “Reyes, I got it while I was drunk!”

“Apparently, you make lots of big decisions to do with me while inebriated,” he joked gently, and Sirius knew he was referring to the first night they'd made love, when they'd stolen Sloane's whiskey and drunk until their heads spun before going back to his place. “No regrets?”

Sirius took a deep breath and shook her head, letting Reyes take her hand again so he could look at the tattoo more closely. “None.”

He gently traced a finger down the body of the snake, his feathery light touch sending flickers of desire shooting through her veins. His fingertips trailed upwards, over the scars, the delicate patterns he traced doing nothing to calm the thundering of her heart caused by the hungry way he watched her.

“How can you be so calm about this?” she asked.

Reyes' smile widened and he stepped closer, his body brushing hers, the arm with the snake tattoo held between them. “Because you're _here_. because you cared enough to get the tattoo, because you're still wearing my earrings, and because I love you. I love you so much it fucking kills me to keep my hands off you.”

“Then … then _don't_.” Sirius' eyes flashed as she wound her arms around his neck, every nerve ending in her body screaming to be closer to him, to be one with him again. “The truth is that … .”She took another deep breath. “The truth is that I love you too. I never stopped.”

“ _Siri_... .”

Reyes wrapped an arm around her waist and tangled a hand in her hair as he drew her closer, the coffee cup falling to the ground with a dull thud. Sirius melted against him, her eyes fluttering closed as she turned her face up to the kiss, her arms winding tighter around his neck. With a small grunt, he picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, their mouths meeting in a passionate kiss that stole her breath as their tongues swirled together hungrily.

Laughing, Sirius held onto Reyes tightly as he strode towards the shuttle, his bare chest slick under her hands. An effervescent feeling of joy bubbled up inside of her, mixing with the desire and warmth coursing through her veins. Thiswas where she was meant to be, she knew as she placed kisses along his shoulder, a strong feeling of coming home sweeping through her as he held her tightly.

Behind them, abandoned for other pleasures, the coffee mug lay forgotten on the ground.

 

 

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_A/N - OMG ... have I mentioned how much I love Sirius and Reyes when they're all cutesy and in love? ^_^ I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, as always I'd love to know what you thought. :D *hugs*_

 


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N - Gosh, what a rough couple of weeks! My apologies on the lateness of this chapter. I've actually had it finished for quite some time, only I didn't have the time to edit and post it due to my work, N7 Day, and Halloween all taking up my time. Hopefully you guys enjoy this chapter and it makes up for the lateness. As always, thank you so much to the amazing people who read and reviewed the last chapter - it really means a lot to me._

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Reyes stumbled a little as he carried Sirius through the shuttle's hatch, her legs wrapped tightly around his waist, their hips grinding together. He kissed her over and over; savage kisses that were all lips, teeth, and tongue, and she responded every bit as enthusiastically. Her nails bit into his shoulders, and he sank a hand into her hair, almost losing his balance as they crashed into the far wall, reeled away, and moved into the cockpit still coiled around one another.

Hunger pounded through his body in a ceaseless, driving pulse, leaving no room for rational thought as the taste of her lips and the feel of her body urged him on. He drank her down greedily with each kiss, wanting to drown himself in her arms. She whimpered and wriggled against him, panting, breathless, every touch and sound driving him wild.

Reyes set her down on the console of his shuttle, the click and mutter of buttons like white noise under her body as he kissed her hard, driving his tongue into her mouth with a groan. It didn't matter what dials were turned or buttons were pushed; his shuttle wouldn't be flying any time soon. And as long as she kept clinging to him, her nails scratching against his naked back, he didn't care what happened to his fucking shuttle.

Sirius caught his lower lip in her teeth, nibbling lightly as she pushed closer to him. He sighed against her happily, his hands sliding down her body, tracing the fabric of her shirt and playing with the hem. His fingertips traced the soft skin of her belly, drawing a shiver from her as she sank her nails into his shoulders and clutched him tighter.

“Reyes!”

He closed his eyes at the sound of his name on her lips, something warm coiling tight inside of him; something hungry, lonely, and desperate to hear that sound again. The pounding desire inside of him increased, hot flames licking higher, burning brighter, the screws turning just that little bit tighter as Reyes allowed his hands to slip inside of her shirt.

The rough pads of his fingers rasped against her skin as he ran his thumbs over her stomach in small circles, the movement dragging her shirt up with agonising slowness. Reyes smiled, enjoying the sweet torture and anticipating what was to come. Sirius however, was having none of it, and his cock throbbed with arousal as she wrenched her shirt off with an impatient cry. She hauled him close for a kiss, her breasts squashing against his chest, the lace rubbing against him with tantalising intimacy.

Her damp black hair tumbled over her shoulders and framed a body which was gloriously familiar and every bit as beautiful as he remembered. Words tumbled towards his throat in a gangly mess; an outpouring of everything he should have said months ago, and had tried to say last night, words he didn't need to repeat but which lingered between them anyway because he'd hurt her, and he'd almost lost her.

But somehow, _somehow_ , Sirius had forgiven him.

Reyes tightened his hands on her hips and she grunted, a soft sexual sound that hit him like a punch to the stomach, and he growled as he tipped her back on the console. He hooked her legs over his hips and leaned down, kissing a trail between her breasts as he kneaded and shaped those wonderfully soft lace covered mounds. He ground his erection against her, thrusting lightly, letting her feel his need, his fire, his desperate fucking _desire_ to have her in the shuttle like a randy teenager in the back of his father's car.

He had wanted their first time together again to be special, to be moonlight and romance, silk sheets and champagne. Not this. Not some desperate scramble in a shuttle with their skin smelling like sulphur springs and dust.

But all he could think about was doing her right here, on the console of his shuttle, and Sirius seemed to be just as hungry for him. She clung to him, clawed at him, arched her back and rubbed herself against him like a cat in heat; those azure eyes burning with a look he suspected mirrored the expression in his own.

He leaned down and licked a wet trail across her taut stomach, dipping the tip of his tongue into her bellybutton and dragging a low moan from her throat. Reyes grinned devilishly and moved to kiss her … then jerked back as a piercing squeal shattered the silence of the shuttle.

_The perimeter alarm!_

Adrenaline surged through him and Reyes cursed as he leapt up up; slamming his head into the roof of the cockpit. He swore and slumped forward against Sirius for a moment, his skull throbbing where he'd smacked it as he drew in a ragged breath. Need still ran painfully through him, and he resentfully shut off the alarm and slammed a fist angrily into the console.

"Great fucking timing!" he bit out, reluctant to drag himself away from the warmth of Sirius. Even the potential threat of Outlaw's bearing down on them didn't seem incentive enough; at least if he died like this, he'd die happy.

But the alarm kept flashing, signalling that someone, or something, was breaching their perimeter in two places.

Sirius chuckled and wriggled off the dash, pulling her shirt back on and fumbling for a sidearm which he knew wasn't there. She groaned as she remembered she had no weapon and Reyes clasped her to him briefly, placing a hard kiss to her swollen lips. He wanted more than a kiss, so much more, he ached for it, but right now there was no chance of that.

His eyes narrowed; _he was going to kill those Outlaws for ruining this moment._

_All of them._

_They were dead men walking for ruining their sexy rendezvous._

"Can SAM tell how many there are?" he asked as he pulled out his own gun, a pistol that seemed woefully inadequate when they had enemies bearing down on them, but which would be more than effective for putting a bullet in each of their heads.

She fiddled with her Omni-tool. "SAM?"

"I'm detecting eight Outcast signatures, all heavily armed. four are on a small ground vehicle approaching from the south, and four are on foot approaching from the south-west." The surprisingly human voice of her AI issued from Sirius' Omni-tool. "They are approximately four minutes and thirty four seconds away. I would exercise extreme caution when dealing with them."

Sirius grinned. "Caution? I think not. You can go ahead and activate my Engineer profile."

Reyes opened is mouth to tell her that caution was probably best since she didn't have a gun, and then frowned, wondering what a profile was. She didn't seem concerned in the least, and the last lingering threads of arousal faded from his body as he followed her to the hatch of the shuttle, watching Sirius as she gazed in the direction that the Outcasts were coming from, her eyes distant as she watched the Horizon.

"Siri, you need to be careful. You don't have a weapon and these guys are dangerous." He spoke in a neutral tone, trying to impress the seriousness of the situation on her. Fear crawled along his skin, demanding to be acknowledged, trying to feed on his anxiety and grow stronger. Reyes refused to let it. He'd be damned if he let these Outcasts bastards take him out; he'd been in worse situations.

To his surprise, Sirius smiled at him like he was being silly.

_Maybe she'd hit her head harder than he'd realised_ , he thought to himself.

"Reyes, I _am_ a weapon." Sirius' smile sharpened into that razor sharp grin he remembered all too well, and then she sent out two glowing drones which whirred softly, the orbs hovering briefly in front of her before they flashed red and flew away, splitting up and heading in the direction of the approaching Outcast parties.

"I thought you were trained as a Vanguard?" Reyes frowned and checked his pocket for a spare clip. The familiar bulge was there, along with the compact grenades he always kept on him; just in case.

"I am," she shrugged, and flashed him a tired smile. "But thanks to SAM I have a few other _abilities_ too."

He wasn't sure what that meant, but he never got a chance to ask. Sirius glowed as her biotics burst around her in a hum that made the hair on the back of his arms stand on end, her barrier pulsing gently as she moved out of the shuttle and towards a tumble of boulders that would give her a clear view of the approaching Outcasts. Reyes watched for a moment, than headed for the pools where they had bathed that morning, staying low as he patched his Omni-tool in with her comms and allowed SAM to show him the positions of the Outcasts.

Anxiety began to creep through him, and his heart beat a little faster as he heard the sound of the approaching vehicle growing nearer. Being stuck out here was bad enough, but being stuck out here with virtually no weapons and with the Pathfinder in tow was worse still. He could well imagine the jubilation of the Outcasts if they got their hands on Sirius, especially after she had helped him take out Sloane. The thought made him shiver.

Did they know who they had shot down?

Doubtful, but if there was a leak in his organisation then it was possible.

Which begged the other question; did they know who he was? Reyes shuddered, Dorado knew his identity at the very least, and since she had joined the Outcasts it was likely that his secret was out, though why they hadn't spread the word was beyond him, unless they were holding onto the information for a rainy day.

Reyes peered around the edge of one of the pale pockmarked rocks, watching as the Outcast vehicle rumbled closer, mercenaries clinging to it like armoured monkeys and shouting remarks to one another as they stopped. They were incredibly close to the rocks where Sirius had concealed herself, and he sucked in a breath as they passed close by. He wondered why she wasn't making her move; what had her drones shown her that was causing her to stay quiet?

A moment later he had his answer; she had merely been biding her time.

He saw a blinding flash and a blue light so bright it seared his eyes, then heard the screams of men as she charged from cover and began her biotic barrage. Reyes tore his eyes off the site of her crashing into them like a whirling blue devil as the other Outlaws pounded around the hill nearby, their approach hidden until now. They broke into a run when they saw their friends under attack, and Reyes kept low as he took aim and fired at them as they ran past.

Their confused shouts brought a grin to his face.

_The element of surprise has a lot to be said for it_ , he thought as his shots killed one one man outright, injured two of the others, and sent the fourth man scrambling for cover. One of the injured men was crawling along the ground, his leg bleeding profusely and his ankle clearly shattered. The other one was attempting to help his friend but was hampered by a shot which had winged his shoulder, leaving him with one arm to work with.

_Bad move, boys._

He moved closer, skittering through the loose rocks around the pools and lining up another shot. The kinetic barrier that the injured man on the ground had thrown up disintegrated and Reyes' second shot hit him in the face, blood exploding outwards in a thick spray. His friend let out a yelp and abandoned him, heading for cover.

Reyes stood up, preparing to fire, when a shot whizzed past him and he dropped back down. _Shit_. He'd forgotten about the fourth man, and that bullet had been so close he'd felt the wind of it against his cheek. Cursing his stupidity, he checked his clip and looked down at his omni-tool readout. According to the HUD, the two men had regrouped and were on the other side of the road they'd been walking down when he'd shot them, hiding behind some boulders.

Fine with him. There were ways to flush men out of hiding.

With a shrug, he pulled one of the grenades out of his pocket, pulled the pin, and lobbed it towards the pile of rocks. He heard the tinny sound of the grenade hitting the ground, a seemingly deafening silence, and then the muted explosion as the grenade detonated. The men scrambled out of their hiding place as debris showered down ... and straight into Reyes' waiting gunfire.

He took out both efficiently, not wasting any bullets, and paused only to check that they were dead before he turned back to help Sirius.

The area around the shuttle looked like a warzone. A pulsing singularity blazed in the air above the shuttle and two men twirled in the air above it like ghoulish ballerinas; limbs flopping lifelessly as they twisted around and around. Warps sparkled here and there across the bare stretch of land, the purplish black dark energy glittering like stars as they sucked at the air.

A man lay screaming in one of the warps, his body coming apart at the seams as he struggled to get free. Reyes raised his gun to dispatch him when a blur streaked through the air and collided with the shrieking man, snapping his neck and silencing him. He saw Sirius outlined in the purple blue light for a moment, terrible and beautiful, and then she was gone.

A shiver worked it's way down his spine, not of fear, but of _awe_.

Biotics were _magic_. They were _otherworldly_. He'd felt first hand what it was like to be on the receiving end of her power, had felt the force she could command, but to see her fighting like _this_ _,_ without so much as a weapon or armour, was something else.

Suddenly, and quite inexplicably, Reyes felt something like envy stab through him, and he wished he had those powers at _his_ fingertips too – the power to command dark energy, to move faster than the eye could follow, to lift people off their feet and hurl them through the air with a flick of the hand.

_But at what cost?_ A little voice asked. _All that power doesn't come naturally, it takes implants and years of training. Sirius makes it look easy because she's good. Really good._

“ _Mr. Vidal?”_ SAM's voice issued from his omni-tool, and Reyes blinked with surprise.

“Uh, yes SAM?”

“ _I'm detecting an ultrasonic transmission coming from the ground vehicle the Outlaws travelled in. Although unlikely, it could be some form of signal. I recommend shutting it down.”_

He nodded, then remembered that the AI couldn't see him. “I'll do what I can.”

The vehicle didn't seem to be running, but there was a satellite dish of some kind on top of it, and he shot the transformer at the base of it. It exploded in a flash of bright light that left him blinking, after images burnt into his eyes.

“Did that stop it?” he asked.

“Yes,” SAM confirmed. “However I'm detecting movement coming your way. Something large and fast. Based on my scans, I believe it to be-”

Whatever he had been going to say was drowned out in the rumble of falling rocks as something huge came scrabbling down the mountainside on his left, knocking free loose boulders and sending dust and dirt high into the sky. Reyes froze, his heart contracting in horror at the site of a huge creature, big enough to cast a shadow over him, thundering down the mountain. It stopped near the Outcast vehicle shook it's huge mean looking head.

_A eiroch_ , he thought stupidly _._ _That's a fucking eiroch_.

It reared up angrily ahead of Reyes, it’s knobbly blue skin crackled and dusty from the Kadara sun. For a moment, he stared at it in terror, wondering exactly how he had managed to forget that the badlands held such beasts, before a tiny voice inside of his head wondered if the Outlaws had somehow called it with that ultrasonic signal.

_But that was impossible._

Before he could think on it more, it let out a roar of fury, and it's mean looking black eyes focused on him. It shook it's head, pawed the ground, and then and charged.

“Oh, fuck!” He fired a few rounds on instinct but knew it wouldn’t do anything to slow it down. If anything, his bullets would just make it even angrier.

_Which they did._

Reyes looked frantically around as it bore down, hoping to see some place which he could take cover, but there was nothing within reach. The ground shook as it thundered towards him, it’s shadow looming, it’s foul stench rising before it like a wave. He stumbled back in a futile attempt to get away as it reared up and prepared to strike.

“Oh, shi-”

Just as it began to bring it's clawed hands down, something blue smashed into the side of the eiroch's head and it let out a mighty roar as it staggered sideways. Reyes blinked as he realised that Sirius had charged at it. Without a weapon and without armour, she had charged at it; distracting it, saving his life.

… and endangering her own.

He watched, stunned, as she smashed a glowing fist into it. The biotic impact sent it reeling, then with a shake of his head he brought his gun up and began firing. There was no time to waste. Two people alone couldn’t bring down an eiroch under most circumstances, and Sirius had put herself in serious trouble to try and distract it.

But they had to try.

The beast was completely enraged now and it charged at Sirius as she streaked away from it, her blue glow blindingly bright. She kept it busy with Throws and Shockwaves, always dodging nimbly out of the way whenever it swiped at her with it’s giant clawed hands. Reyes’ heart was in his mouth the entire time, and he kept firing at it, never letting up as he cursed and swore each time she Charged at the giant creature and impacted it.

_If it got hold of her … !_

But it didn’t. And finally, after what felt like hours of fighting, the huge creature let out a piteous whine as Sirius slammed into it a final time, then it toppled sideways into the dust. It let out a long rattling breath; legs twitching as it died.

Sirius turned to face him, chest heaving as she doubled over and placed her hands on her knees. Blood dripped from a cut above her cheek, and her knuckles were raw and bloody. Her eyes were wide and they swirled brighter than usual with flecks of blue as they focused on him.

“You … okay?” she gasped in between breaths.

Reyes nodded. “You?”

“Yep. I’m … totally … fine.” Sirius straightened, but before she could even take a step she swooned and slumped sideways onto the ground with a puff of dust.

He cursed and jogged over to her, kneeling and pulling her into his arms. Up close in the daylight he could finally see the changes which he hadn't allowed himself to focus on before; shadows under her eyes that spoke of sleepless nights, gaunt cheeks and pale lips from poor eating and working too hard.

Liam was right; Sirius had been falling to pieces.

“Oh, Bluebird,” Reyes cupped her cheek and her eyes fluttered open, his heart twisting in his chest as she looked up at him with such an open and unguarded expression that it cut like a knife. “We need to stop lying to each other. You’re not fine at all.”

She smiled briefly, and her voice just managed to reach his ears. “I'm fine … _now_. Now that you're here.”

A fiercely protective warmth swelled in his chest and he caressed her cheek with his thumb. “Good. Because I'm not going _anywhere_.”

He picked her up before she could say anything else, and carried her back to the shuttle. She was surprisingly quiet when he settled her in the back and found her some water and rations, and only spoke up when he got the medical kit out and started to dig around for medigel.

“I thought I was going to lose you just then,” she said softly as he tore the packet open and began to apply it to her injuries. “When I saw that eiroch about to get you,” her breath caught and she had to take a moment before she could keep going. “I thought I _had_ lost you.”

Reyes paused, his fingers cool and sticky with medigel, and slowly let out the breath he was holding, barely daring to hope as he raised his eyes and met Sirius’ luminous blue gaze. _Love_. He could see it swirling in the depths of her eyes, undimmed by the exhaustion and pain, unmoved by the heartache she had suffered, and even unchanged by her recent brush with death on the Archon’s ship.

_He didn’t deserve it, not after everything he’d done ... but dammit, he needed her love._

She caught his hand, her fingers trembling with exhaustion. “I was so angry with you after what happened. So angry. But all I can think is that if I hadn't come down here with Liam, if I hadn't boarded this ship, what if I'd lost you-”

“You’re not going to lose me,” he interrupted softly, and finally closed the distance between them properly, pulled against his will as though some greater force had hold of him. Reyes closed his arms about her tiny frame and held her close. “I know I’m a shady bastard, but I’m yours, Siri. Everything I am and everything I have is _yours_.”

He leaned in slowly, tilting her face up with gentle hands and showing her just how much he loved her. The kiss was gentle, a slow simmering brush of his lips on hers, but it seared with heat; with the promise of things to come. A promise that this time he would get it right.

That this time, Sirius would have no reason to doubt him.

He sighed and drew back slowly, casting a sad look around the interior of his shuttle. “We need to move out soon and put some distance between us and the crash site. As soon as you're able to get moving we need to start for Ditaeon before more Outlaws show up.”

She nodded. “Yeah, I don't think I can take another fight. I feel zonked.”

Reyes snorted and reached over to open a water ration for her. “Zonked? That makes two of us, and I'm completely out of ammo.”

Sirius took the water with a quiet thanks and drank deeply, then passed it back to him, her expression making it clear that she was only too aware of how little supplies they had. Reyes had some, and then resealed the pack and put it away with the rest.

He let her rest and began to pack, casting the occasional glance in her direction. Sirius looked a little better now; she had more colour in her cheeks and that horrible shadow under her eyes didn't seem as pronounced when she wasn't in direct sunlight. Still, she looked like a woman who had been suffering a terrible illness, and he didn't like that he'd been the cause of it.

“I did some exploring this morning and got my bearings, and I have a better idea of where we are now. I think we'll head for a cave system an hour walk from here,” Reyes said as he finished packing the essentials and handed her the lighter of the packs. “Walking in the middle of the day isn't ideal, but it's not far, and once we're inside I know a safe path through.”

She snorted. “Let me guess, you used it for smuggling?”

Reyes grinned. “Maybe, but a man has to have a few secrets.”

He _had_ used it for smuggling, of course, and wasn't about to deny it, but passing up the chance to tease her seemed silly, and the way she grinned at his wink was worth it. They set off a few minutes later, walking slowly since Sirius still seemed groggy.

Reyes didn't know much about biotics, not having worked with many of them, but he knew enough about the way they worked to know that they required a high calorie intake to maintain their energy. He guessed that Sirius needed food, and made her eat a ration bar as they walked, though she complained bitterly about the cardboard taste the entire time. It did seem to help though, and she perked up a little more.

 “What have you been doing for the past few months?” she asked suddenly, her tone carefully neutral.

Reyes grinned and glanced at her sideways. “You mean besides sending you those very poetic emails asking you to talk to me?” He was pleased to see her blush and avoid his gaze. “I buried myself in work. Taking over Kadara went better than expected, but there were hiccups, and it kept me busy.”

He could tell that wasn't what she wanted to know, and he waited to see if she'd ask what was really on her mind.

“You, uh, didn't see anyone new?” Sirius finally spat out, the blush deepening delicately on her cheeks. She glanced at him, her eyes flashing. “I don't mind if you did. I'm just curious.”

Reyes chuckled. “Kian offered to help me forget about you, and I must admit I was awfully temped. But in the end I told him that my heart was still firmly in your hands and I was hopeful you'd return in time.”

“Kian?” Sirius' eyes widened momentarily, then she returned his grin. “You're a sucker for us dark haired types, aren't you?”

“And accents,” he added almost absently, taking her hand and helping her over a rough patch of ground. “I'm helpless when it comes to sexy accents like yours.”

“I don't have an accent.” Sirius rolled her eyes. “You're the one with the sexy accent.”

Reyes laughed throatily and squeezed her hand, his thumb sliding over the steady pulse in her wrist. “Oh my little bluebird, you have a _very_ sexy accent. It's wonderful. It makes me want to do the most delightfully naughty things to you.”

She started to argue, and then laughed. “Damn, Vidal. You have to go working me up don't you?”

He raised his eyebrows, his heart starting to beat a little faster at the way she was watching him. “I've never had much control when to comes to you,” he admitted slowly, squeezing her hand again. “And the thought of being alone with you in a dark cave is bringing out all kinds of primal thoughts.”

Sirius's hand tightened around his in a kind of spasm, then she let her breath out in a slow hiss, those whirling blue eyes moving the length of his body in a slow sexual appraisal. He found he liked the idea of the two of them alone in a dark cave, their naked bodies entwined. An image of him fucking her again the wall blazed through his mind; only in this particular fantasy she was wearing parts of her armour and the cave system looked suspiciously liked the one in which he had killed Sloane.

“Funny,” she smiled suddenly, a predatory baring of teeth that made Reyes' cock twitch with anticipation. “I'm having _very_ similar thoughts myself.”

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_A/N - Ahem, I promise there is smut in the next chapter. I swear, cross my heart. Hehe. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter - feel free to let me know what you thought. I'd love to hear from you._

 

 


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N – Hello and howdy! Apologies on the delay with this update! Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter – I really, really appreciated it, and I hope you’re all sticking with me despite my wibbly wobbly health and inability to update as fast as I used to. On the plus side – yay! There is smut this chapter! ^_^ Enjoy!_

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“I knew it.” Sirius grinned as she dragged a hand along the edge of one packing crate, all were smuggled goods Reyes had evidently been storing here. Eyes twinkling, she turned to face him. “Once a smuggler, always a smuggler?”

The cool darkness of the cave was welcome relief after the heat of Kadara, and she tried not to make her exhaustion too obvious as she ran her eyes over Reyes’ familiar form. His eyes glimmered in the dim-light as he dropped the pack he’d been carrying and crossed his arms over his chest. Sirius half wanted him to pin her against the crates and take her here and now, so eager was the thundering pulse in her body to have him, but Reyes only shrugged and aimed a charming smile in her direction.

“A man has to pay the bills.”

“A likely story.” Sirius turned back to peer at the nearest crate and kicked a boot against it. “What’s inside? Weapons? Food?”

“No idea.” He joined her, his proximity sending a shiver of awareness down her spine. “You know my policy; I don’t ask too many questions about the cargo I carry. It’s bad for business. But,” he picked up a crowbar and began prying the lid off a nearby crate, “this situation does call for desperate measures.”

She snorted. “You’re damn right it does.”

Sirius sent out some drones to keep watch on the entrance of the cave while they set about opening the smuggled cases. The first proved to have stolen shuttle components from the Initiative inside of it. The second held a jumble of medical equipment and turbine parts, neither of which were useful without electricity to run them. The next held angara spices which tasted like dirt when Sirius tried them. They didn’t find anything useful until Reyes cracked open the final crate, and even then what they did find wasn’t _especially_ useful.

“What is it?” Sirius asked, peering over his shoulder as Reyes laughed heartily and dropped the crowbar with a clang. “Weapons?”

“Not quite. At least, not without a rag and a lighter.” He reached in and extracted a bottle which gleamed with liquid gold. “ _Whiskey_.”

She plucked it from his hands and grinned. “Real whiskey?”

“Moonshine,” he chuckled. “But the best Kadara has to offer. Good stuff.”

“Are you going to share it this time? Or am I still too injured to have a drink, hmm?” Sirius hopped up on the crate and perched on the edge, her legs dangling on either side of Reyes.

He snorted and shook his head. “You’re incorrigible.”

“One of my finer qualities,” she said matter-of-factly, and linked her arms around his neck. “Though I believe I have one or two other qualities which you rather enjoy too.”

“You do at that.” Reyes leaned in and nuzzled her neck. He set the whiskey down and gripped her waist, squeezing gently. “God, I missed you-“

She nodded and curled herself around him. “So you keep saying. Don’t you think it’s time you showed me just how much?”

He froze at her words and pulled back. His hazel eyes locked with hers, and for a moment his face flickered with uncertainly. His hands rested on her thighs, his palms warm through the fabric of her jeans, and Sirius could feel him thinking over his words before he spoke. Funny how even now, even after all this time apart, she could still read him so well.

“I want to. God knows I want to, but are you sure? You’re hurt and we’ve just walked-“

She put a finger against his lips. “Oh shut up, Reyes. I always want you. Even when I was furious with you, I still _wanted_ you.”

She dipped her head and brushed her lips against his, softly, and then harder, opening her mouth and swirling her tongue around his. Reyes groaned hungrily and held her tight, fingers digging into her thighs as though worried she would melt into the air if he let her go for even a moment. There was something desperate in the way he kissed her, something ferociously lonely and incredibly hungry in the way he gathered her close and fed at her mouth.

Sirius groaned and wrapped her legs around his waist as Reyes lifted her off the crate, the whiskey forgotten as he carried her further into the cave. He pressed her against a rocky wall, the sharp edges bearable as he hooked one of her legs over her hip and the other found purchase on the ground. She whimpered, warmth spreading from her core as Reyes ground against her and she felt his erection straining at his trousers, the physical proof of his desire for her.

Not that she needed any proof.

Not anymore.

This time there was no perimeter alarm to stop them, no approaching Outlaws, and they shed their clothes with a lazy kind of fever. Sirius felt Reyes pull her jacket from her shoulders and heard it fall to the floor with a leathery whisper, she felt the warmth of his fingers as he pulled her shirt above her head, and whimpered as his hands found her breasts, palming them through the material of her bra. Her boots and pants went next, and they were discarded next to her jacket.

A sharp stab of desire went through her at the sight of him watching her hungrily, his hazel eyes burning with desire, and with a growl, Sirius hauled him to her. Their mouths met in a hungry clash of lips and teeth, their hands clawing at one another as they fought to get closer, to remove the clothing that separated them. Sirius nipped at Reyes’ lower lip as his erection pressed against her, hard and demanding through the material of his pants, and he gasped and clutched at her hips, grinding her against him.

Her own hands fumbled at Reyes’ clothing, unsnapping fastenings and tugging the garments down his body. How she got them off when her fingers felt so numb and clumsy with trembling need, she didn’t know, but, _somehow_ , she peeled them off with his help. And he was exactly as she remembered. Every scar. Every freckle. Every line and curve. His skin was warm and silken under her hands as she trailed her fingers along the solid lines of his chest, tracing muscles and exploring his body.

Her stomach fluttered with excitement as they broke apart and he turned those wonderfully tawny eyes on her again. They really were the eyes of Anubis, the eyes of the jackal-headed god that he had been named after. They gleamed in the cave, seeming to flash, and Sirius’ breath caught in her throat as he lowered his mouth to her neck and kissed a burning trail down her throat, biting and licking along her collar bone.

“Siri,” he moaned her name quietly, his hands tightening against her as she ran her nails over the curve of his ass and pulled him between her legs.

Wanting him.

Needing him.

The cave wall bit into the skin of her back, but she didn’t care as Reyes head dipped lower and he took an aching nipple in his mouth, his tongue circling around the rosy tip, hardening it, before he sucked gently. One hand skated down her body, calloused fingertips tickling her skin as he stroked her hips and thighs, and finally slipped between her legs. She gasped and moaned simultaneously, her head falling back against the rock as he ran expert fingers through her silken folds, his thumb circling that bundle of nerves at the apex of her thighs in just the way she liked.

Her legs trembled, and she leaned more of her weight against the wall as Reyes sucked hard on her nipple, biting down on the skin around it as he gently thrust two fingers inside of her. Sirius gasped and dug her nails into his back, holding on for dear life. He worked them in and out in a slow and steady rhythm as he continued to rub her clit in careful circles. She whimpered, biting her lip to stop herself from crying out as Reyes slid his other hand under her ass, helping to support her as her legs wobbled even further.

She clutched at his shoulders and curled her nails deeper into his skin, molten heat racing through her veins and pooling in her tummy as his erection pressed against her, hot and ready. The feel of his fingers sliding in and out of her body sent spears of lust through her, and without thinking she arched into Reyes and hooked one leg back over his hip, urging him to keep going.

“Please, Reyes!” she gasped as he pulled his hand away and lifted his head from her breast.

He laughed huskily, and it was a wonderfully masculine sound that slid over her skin like velvet. “Please what, my _Bluebird_? Please … stop?”

He was teasing her, and she knew it, but she swatted him all the same.

“Fuck you!” Sirius kissed him as he laughed and reached between their bodies, caressing the velvety hot length that pressed against her. He hissed in pleasure and bucked against her hand, muttering something she only half heard in Spanish under his breath. “Or maybe … fuck me?” she suggested as an afterthought.

He grinned and pressed his forehead to hers, love dancing in his eyes. “How can I resist such sweet, poetic words?”

Reyes claimed her lips in another searing kiss, his tongue thrusting deeply into her mouth. He kissed her like a drowning man having his first taste of precious water; _greedily_. As though starved for the taste of her. And when he’d had his fill he lifted her and moved between her legs, his muscles straining as he braced her against the wall.

Sirius held tight to his shoulders and rained kisses down upon his face and neck, her heartbeat thundering in her ears as he positioned himself between her legs. The tip of his erection brushed her sex and slowly, as though savouring every moment, be began to push inside. Inch by inch he sank into her warmth, his groan of satisfaction muffled against her neck as he finally drove himself in to the very hilt.

“Reyes, yes!” she gasped as the sensation of him stretching and filling her so completely sent a wave of molten desire burning through her veins. A languid warmth filled her, and when Reyes began to move in gentle thrusts, she moved with him, matching each of his movements with a roll of her hips, and squeezing her pelvic muscles.

He shuddered against her and drove himself in harder and faster, a sheen of sweat breaking out over his skin as he buried one hand in her hand and kept the other scooped under her ass for purchase. Sirius kissed him as the fervent excitement built, each of his slick thrusts dragging a gasp or a low panting cry of pleasure from her throat. She tightened her legs around his waist and raked her nails down his back as the pleasure built like a rising tide, hot and thick within her, spreading through her limbs and pooling in her belly.

“That’s it, love,” Reyes purred into her ear as he tightened his grip on her hair and began to pound into her in long, hard strokes, his voice furred with his own arousal. “I want to feel you come while I’m inside of you, and I want to be fucking you while you lose control. I want to make you feel good.”

_Yes, yes, yes!_ She thought wildly; unable to speak for the desperate pleasure racing though body.

Sirius cried out wordlessly, clawing his back as the pleasure reached its white-hot peak, blinding and almost painful as it exploded inside of her. She shuddered, muscles tensing as she wrapped herself around Reyes and held on as that wave of ecstasy crashed down upon them and she lost herself in pleasure. Reyes held himself inside of her deeply as he spilled himself, his breathing ragged, then he caught her lips in a final kiss and they sank to the ground.

Sirius wasn’t sure how long she lay curled in Reyes’ arms afterwards, his hands tracing swirling patterns on her flushed skin as they drifted back down to Earth. _Or down to Kadara_ , she thought whimsically as she managed to find the strength to sit up. Her body hummed with satiated pleasure, and Reyes grinned at her happily as he lay with one arm curled behind his head.

He looked very pleased with himself, she noted with a grin; probably just as happy as she did.

“So, no regrets about picking up where we left off?” he asked, taking her hand and lacing their fingers together. “Now that you know the whole truth about me, I mean?”

She shook her head, chuckling a little as she groped around for something to put on and found Reyes’ vest. “What? Now that I know you love me, you mean?”

Reyes watched her pull on his vest and smirked. “I was thinking about the whole Charlatan and Collective thing, but sure, let’s throw the L word in too.” He squeezed her hand. “No regrets?”

“None.” Sirius leaned down and kissed him, his lips warm and firm under hers. “Though I’m not sure I know whole truth. I don’t know anything about your family or what your life was like on Earth-“

His eyes roved over the sight of her in his clothes. “Ask me anything,” he prompted softly. “There isn’t much to tell, not really. I came _here_ to be someone, and I meant it.”

She lay back down against Reyes, snuggling close and throwing one long leg across his. For a moment she thought over the myriad of questions burning inside of her about him, because she’d spoken the truth: she really knew very little of Reyes’ past. And much of what she’d thought she knew about him had turned out to be a lie.

Sirius reeled away from that unpleasant thought and drew in a deep breath. “Okay, tell me about your family.”

He shrugged a little. “I grew up in Chile. My father was a politician and my mother a retired school teacher. She was,” and she heard the smile in his voice, “a _slave_ to my education. She made sure I finished school, got good grades, and that I spoke perfect English even though many of my friends never bothered to learn more than the basics.” He cleared his throat and continued, the smile vanishing as he spoke. “I had four sisters, no brothers, and was undoubtedly the biggest disappointment to ever happen to my father.”

_Something we have in common, Reyes._

“Not a happy relationship?” she prompted gently.

“Not at all.” Reyes rubbed his cheek against the top of her head. “My father expected me to follow in his footsteps and go into politics, but I had other ideas.”

Sirius pulled back a little to consider his face. “Smuggling?”

He let out a bark of laughter and shook his head. “Hardly. I fell into smuggling by accident. First, I went to College for a while, studying business and intending to do what my father wanted. But I was miserable, and eventually I dropped out and enlisted in the Alliance. I already had my basic flight training down, and I had a certain natural aptitude for piloting shuttles. Father _loved_ that and all but disowned me.”

“So, what happened?” she prompted when he fell quiet after a little while, and ran a hand through his dark hair. “Because you’re sure as hell not in the Alliance anymore.”

“No,” Reyes laughed, and it was a darkly bitter laugh. “I was posted to the outer colonies for my first assignment, just doing supply runs for a unit posted out there as security, but things went bad and people got killed when batarians attacked the colony. The Alliance soldiers barely lifted a finger, said their orders were to protect the mining complex and workers, and _not_ the people living in the settlement outside of it.” His eyes flashed with suppressed anger, and Sirius cuddled closer, reassuring him. “I left the Alliance soon after, heard about the Andromeda Initiative and signed up.” He shrugged again. “I was never good at letting the little people suffer for the needs of the rich. It didn’t sit well with me back then, and it didn’t sit well with me when Sloane took her throne on Kadara. I saw too much corruption back in Chile not to know how those things play out for the little people.”

The bitterness in his tone surprised her, and she wondered if his father had been corrupt. She decided not to press it. “And the smuggling?”

He grinned and the tone lightened. “I just seemed to fall into it. My business skills and piloting skills did lend themselves to it back when I was posted to the outer colonies with the Alliance. I mean, I had access to everything I was bringing in. No one knew if I skimmed a little of the goods and sold it to make a profit to the settlers in town-“

“Of course.” Sirius kissed him on the cheek and sat up. “And here you are, still plying your trade in a whole other galaxy.” A thought occurred her and she laughed suddenly. “And you got into politics after all.”

Reyes snorted. “Definitely not the way my father intended.”

They lay together for a while longer, listening to the sound of the wind outside and to the gentle rustlings of small creatures inside of the cave, until finally Reyes sat up with a grunt and began searching for his clothes.

“We should keep going and try to get deeper inside the cave before we rest,” He explained at her questioning look. “I don’t want to push you too much further with that head injury, but I don’t like how exposed and easy to find we are this close to the entrance. If we go deeper the caves will help mask our life signs and they’ll have a harder time tracking us.”

Sirius located her clothes and began dressing, handing Reyes his vest back with amusement. “Not the first time you’ve gone into hiding on Kadara?”

He shook his head. “Nor the last, I imagine. Come on, there’ll be time for cuddling later.”

“There better be.”

He looked amused as he helped her on with her jacket, then found their pack and, slightly heavier thanks to the addition of some bottles of moonshine, he hefted it onto his back, turned on a torch and took her hand. The feel of his hand around hers was warm, familiar and reassuring as they descended deeper into the cave, the winding narrow passage swallowing them up like the mouth of some great beast. But, despite how close she felt to Reyes, Sirius couldn’t suppress a shiver as ice slid down her spine.

For some reason she couldn’t place, she had a very bad feeling about this cave.

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_A/N – See? Told you there would be smut. And guess what? There is more smut in the next chapter … as well as … other stuff. *clears throat* Ahem. I really, really hope you guys liked this chapter! *hugs you all* Merry Christmas and I’d love to hear what you thought! ^_^ Reviews are always loved and treasured!_


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N – Apologies on the delay with this chapter – depression is a bitch and I’ve been struggling with writing. I really appreciate the people who have stuck with me and I’m hoping that 2018 will be a year when I can get back to writing on a more regular schedule! *hugs* Thank you to the people who review – you genuinely do keep me going and I love you for it!  I loved your feedback on the previous chapter, it made me smile!_

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Sirius woke in darkness, though the biotics from her eyes cast a faint ghostly light through the cavern. Shadows danced as the azure light whirled, and she shivered as a bone-deep chill passed through her body. The cave was as cold as the desert outside was hot, and though she had lost all sense of time down here, it felt as though she and Reyes had spent hours making love and holding each other.

Was it morning?

It _felt_ like morning.

She stretched, her joints popping as she shifted closer to the only source of warmth nearby; Reyes. His arms instantly tightened around her waist, and he pulled her tightly against him, his mouth curving into a smile against her bare shoulder. He flicked on the single torch they had, and the cavern instantly brightened.

“Mmm,” Sirius wriggled, snuggling against him. “Good morning.”

He gave her a squeeze; calloused fingers pleasantly warm against her skin. “Morning. Sleep well?”

“Not bad. Though-” her breath caught as Reyes lightly bit the nape of her neck. “I’m a little cold.”

Reyes chuckled and slid a muscled leg over hers, nuzzling her neck. “I’ll warm you up.”

Sirius rolled her eyes, but grinned as his hands slipped down her sides, trailing over her hips and tracing patterns along her thighs. He pressed kisses the length of her spine, his lips warm and soft. Her grin widened as he pulled her closer still, nestling his hips against her ass; his erection pushing against her, hard and hot against her cooler skin.

She opened her mouth to make a smart remark, but gasped instead as Reyes bit her with just enough pressure to leave a mark without breaking the skin, a shudder of pleasure rippling down her skin.

Reyes chuckled throatily; his laugh almost a growl. “Mmm, you taste good,” he murmured, and flicked his tongue over the bite. “Like whiskey and salt.”

Sirius turned in his arms and caught his mouth with hers, smiling as he rolled so that she was trapped beneath him. He kissed her, driving her head back into the blanket with the force of his kiss. His tongue dipped into her mouth in a hot stroke of velvet heat as he slid a leg between hers. They’d spent most of the night making love, but after so long apart they were both insatiably hungry for one other.

Reyes ran a hand through her hair, his fingers catching her long dark locks and tugging her head back, exposing her pale throat. Sirius shivered as he kissed a line along her jaw, then hungrily licked and nibbled his way down the column of her throat, sucking hard on her pulse point. Excitement pounded through her veins in time to her heartbeat, a warm throbbing pulse which left her aching for more.

She burned for him, longed for him, and like an addict craving a fix she could feel herself leaning into him desperately, cravenly, unable to focus on anything but his body against hers. Her hands shook, her breath trembled, and even the thoughts in her head seemed to tangle up as Reyes held her in his arms. All she could do was move with him as he ground against her; kissing and stroking every part of him within reach, and encouraging him on with soft little cries.

Reyes seemed as equally lost in her, and Sirius caught sight of his flushed cheeks as he framed her face in unsteady hands; his golden eyes burning with emotion. He held her gaze for a long, long moment before he kissed her again, slowly, deeply, his tongue swirling against hers as he stroked a hand between her legs.

He groaned his approval as he felt for himself how wet she was, then he traced her folds and swirled his thumb around her clit. Sirius whimpered in pleasure and spread her legs as Reyes gently worked his fingers inside of her, sliding them in and out of her slick warmth, and smirking as she trembled against him.

He laughed huskily as he withdrew his fingers and licked them clean of her juices, his gaze now blazing with heat as he moved between her legs. Sirius watched him, spellbound. There was something in his movements which seemed almost predatory, _hungry_ , as though he were starved for the taste and feel of her. But far from scaring her, it only increased her own ravenous desire, and she clung to Reyes all the tighter.

“My Bluebird,” he whispered softly as he trailed a hand down one long thigh and hooked her leg over his hip, the tip of his erection teasing her entrance. “ _Mi Reina_ , I love you.”

The words fell over Sirius like rain falling on desert sand. She drank them down greedily, hungrily; emotional tears swimming in her eyes as he positioned himself at her entrance and slowly began to push inside. It felt glorious. Perfect. And she wound her legs around his waist as he sank inside of her, stretching and filling that empty space inside that seemed to be made just for him.

Sirius bit her lip and rocked her hips upwards to meet his thrust, trying to urge him to move faster, but Reyes just grinned and caught her hands with his, pinning them beside her head. He seemed determined to take things slowly this morning, and he laced their fingers together as he thrust into her with lazy rolls of his hips. She whimpered, tightening her muscles around him as the slow sliding motion of his cock sent ripples of pleasure thrumming through her.

Needing to feel him, she slipped her hands from his and raked her nails down his back. Reyes grunted softly and bit her neck in retaliation, one hand winding back into her hair to anchor her to the ground while the other slipped under her body and cupped her ass. The wonderful feeling of his body moving within hers grew as he pressed his mouth back to hers in a long lingering kiss, and a shiver of excitement raced through her.

A glorious warmth was building in her core; a honeyed pleasure that seeped down her limbs and filled her with a tingling excitement.

“Reyes, I’m going to die if you keep moving this slowly!” Sirius managed to gasp as he moved his mouth to her neck, his breath hot on her skin as he panted.

He chuckled again, though there was an edge to the laughter that spoke of his tight control. “Maybe,” he conceded. “But would this _really_ be such a bad way to go?”

She laughed before she could stop herself and curled her legs tighter around his waist, throwing her head back watching his wolfish eyes burn with emotion as they made love. His slow seduction sent ripples of pleasure echoing through her body; ripples that seemed to become waves as his thrusts grew deeper and harder. The warm glow in her belly grew in intensity, burning like a supernova as Reyes drove her closer to her release, a wonderful tension building inside of her; stretching like a taut rubber band.

“I’m close,” she gasped as she hovered on the knife edge of release, one heartbeat away from unravelling completely. “Reyes! _Please_!”

Reyes was panting hard, and his muscles tensed as he held himself back from his own pleasure to push her further. Sirius clung to him tightly, her nails curled into his skin like cat’s claws as he reached between their bodies to stroke her clit again. His member slid in and out in slick pumps as he swirled his thumb around her swollen nub, expertly touching her in just the way she liked.

She moaned and whimpered as her climax fell over her all at once; the warmth and pleasure crashing down like a tsunami and tumbling her into the abyss. Sirius heard Reyes swear as he caught her hands in his and finally began to pound into her hard, his lips found hers in a passionate kiss as they came together in a blinding blue flash. Their pleasure seemed to sweep them away in a swirling, tumbling, messy whirl of biotics, curse words, and trembling muscles.

Afterwards, they lay curled together in an untidy tangle of sweaty limbs, and Sirius was grateful when Reyes tugged the thermal blanket back over them. She snuggled against his chest and sighed happily as he smoothed a hand through her hair, then kissed the top of her head. A warm glowing sense of contentment radiated through her, and she smiled to herself.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy,” she murmured sleepily, her voice quiet in the silence of the cave. “Right _now_ , right _here_ , I can’t ever remember feeling this good before.”

Reyes shifted slightly and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m happy I could do that for you, Bluebird, but,” he paused and looked around, his voice slightly amused, “you really do have very strange taste.”

Sirius laughed and sat up, peering around for her clothes. “I’m serious!”

“I know,” he winked. “I’m Reyes.”

“Oh my god, I swear if you ever make that joke again-“

His grin widened, teeth gleaming. “You’ll kill me? Flay me alive?”

“Yes.” Sirius aimed a look at him that she hoped conveyed her murderous intent, though she suspected that she came off as looking adorably ruffled judging by the fond look Reyes gave her. “ _With my mind_."

“I doubt that, Bluebird.” He leaned close and kissed the side of her neck, his eyes twinkling wickedly. “You seem to have a slight weakness where I’m concerned, and I fully intend to exploit it.”

A hot flush swept up her cheeks. “Well, I’m hardly going to complain, but,” she cast a regretful look at his bare chest, “we should get going.”

Reyes nodded reluctantly and pulled away. “We should.”

He gave her another lingering kiss, then then they finished dressing and packed up their gear. Despite the activities and whiskey she’d had the night before, Sirius’ head didn’t ache anymore, which was good, as Reyes set off at a punishing pace through the winding caves, following a path which left her head spinning.

They chatted as they walked, their voices echoing in the dark and bouncing back at them. She told him about her home back in the milk way, about life on the dig and learning to fight and use her biotics. About growing up with an absent father and a busy mother, about her brother Orion who was caring, if a little bit overly concerned that everything be perfect and everyone be happy.

“What about your friends?” he asked eventually. “I find it hard to believe you didn’t leave behind people who cared about you?” Reyes nudged her shoulder with his own. “A boyfriend? Girlfriend?”

Sirius laughed. “Both at one time or another. I had a girlfriend before I left, but things ended badly. She couldn’t handle me being away on the dig for so long. My friends … ,” she trailed off and shrugged. “I miss them. I don’t think it occurred to me that I was really leaving them behind and that they’ve been dead for hundreds of years until recently.”

The thought of them being gone sent a dull ache through her chest, and she swallowed before she continued. “But, I like it here. I like the challenge of surviving. I like meeting new people and seeing new world.” A wry smile curved her lips. “I don’t have any of those regrets we keep talking about.”

Reyes glanced at her and he let out a slow breath. “I do.” He stopped walking abruptly and caught her hands. “I know I’ve said it before, but I promise things will be different between us now. No more lies or hiding the truth.”

Sirius smirked and stepped closer, slinging her arms around his neck. “You’re going to give up lying for me?”

“Well … ,” he quirked an eyebrow, “not completely. I’m sure I’ll still have to lie, everyone does, I’ll just make sure I don’t lie to _you_.”

“Oh, just to me, huh?” she echoed mockingly and moved in for a kiss.

Her lips were an inch from his when a sound echoed through the cave and Reyes went rigid, his hands stilling and holding her in place as they both froze to listen. It was the sound of movement. Distant, but growing closer. Sirius strained her ears, and was sure she could actually _hear_ Reyes doing the same.

“Outcasts?” she breathed, hardly daring to speak at all.

Reyes nodded. “Ahead and behind, I think. I’m not sure. Can your SAM sense them?”

Sam responded inside of her head in the negative, the tone of his voice concerned. _I would advise caution, Ryder. It is likely that the Outcasts are intending to trap you in the cave system._

“Is there another way out of here other than the path we were taking?” Sirius asked, wincing as her boots crunched on the cave floor, the noise impossibly loud in the silence.

“No.” Reyes shook his head. “The side tunnels lead to dead ends or circle around on themselves. The only way out is ahead of us, or the way we came in.”

She cursed quietly and stepped back, needing space to think. “So, what do we do? They know we’re coming, but not from what direction. We could double back and try to take them by surprise? We don’t have any ammo, but I have my biotics-”

“It’s too dangerous.” He put a hand out and gripped her forearm, and for the first time since she’d met him, she sensed genuine fear from Reyes. “I need to think.”

He swung away and paced, his face a mask of concern as he tapped two fingers on his chin. Sirius watched, fighting down the urge to flare as the distant noises grew clearer and closer. Anxiety writhed in her belly like a bag full of snakes and crawled beneath her skin like bugs.

“Reyes-“

“There isn’t any way out of this,” his voice was soft, and he’d paused with his back to her. “Maybe if I-“ he paused again, shaking his head, and Sirius could feel tension radiating from him. “The best we can hope for is to get past them and keep running, but even then we have little chance of that. They have us outgunned, so whatever we do, we need to do this on _our terms_.”

She raised her chin, her eyes flashing as she acknowledged his words. “Agreed. We can do this. It’s close quarters in here, lots of alcoves and rocky ledges, and we can use that to our advantage. We can set up an ambush and take out as many as we can.”

Reyes nodded, but it was without enthusiasm and he frowned. “I just don’t understand how they found us.”

“It doesn’t matter _how_ they tracked us. The point is that they did it. And, look on the bright side.” Sirius winked and tried to sound as positive as she could. “At least they didn’t find us any sooner. Because it would have been _really_ awkward if they’d come across us while we were, umm, _otherwise engaged_ this morning.”

That drew a smile from him, and he shook off his gloom as he laughed. “I don’t know, maybe they would have died from shock?” His smile faded and he drew in a deep breath. “I’m not going to be much help in this fight. I have knives and can fight in close quarters, and maybe I can get a gun from one of them. But you’ll need to use your biotics and your drones to do what you can for the most part.”

“Don’t worry,” she flared, “I’ve got it covered. Just find us a good place to set up an ambush and I’ll do the rest.”

Reyes nodded and led her further along the tunnel, towards the sounds which were growing closer. The sounds of people talking, laughter, and … _strangely_ … the sounds of animals snuffling and growling. Her skin crawled, and she had to resist the furious urge to simply charge ahead and attack them head on; that would be suicide.

And she didn't want to die.

Not anymore.

Instead, they moved into a slightly bulbous part of the corridor with plenty of cover. Sirius sent out two drones on attack mode, and then on impulse, she stalked back to Reyes, grabbed his shoulders and yanked his head down for a kiss.

She kissed him like she wanted to crawl inside of him, like he was her king, her god, her everything. She breathed in the familiar scent of his skin, his aftershave, the hint of whiskey, and clutched her fingers tightly against the lapels of his vest, the leather creaking under the pressure she applied.

“I love you.” The words seemed inadequate, like telling someone that she _enjoyed_ eating cake or that she _liked_ drinking whiskey, but they were all she had.

“I know,” Reyes swept her close in a brief, tight embrace, and then pressed his lips to hers again. “I love you too, _Mi Reina_. Be safe.”

She pulled away and readied her biotics, a pulse of power rushing through her as she activated a barrier. Distantly, she heard her drones open fire, followed by the snarls of angry animals and the curses of injured men. The game was up – they knew they were waiting for them now. The staccato sound of gun fire burst through the cave, echoing like thunder, and Sirius ducked down on instinct. The fighting was still distant, but the echoes sounded close.

Silence fell after a while, and she knew the drones were destroyed. Her ears rang in the silence, and she detected the sounds of footsteps, a single man by the sound of it. A scout? Clever if it was. She stayed low, her heart hammering as the scrape of the Outcast’s boots sounded on rocks only metres away. With no warning she gathered her biotics and flung herself forward, snapping through the air as though propelled by a slingshot.

The biotic Charge seared the air, and she caught a brief glimpse of the man’s surprised face before she slammed into him, his armour cracking under the force of her blow. She twisted mid-air, using all her skills as a biotic as she snapped one leg around in a vicious biotic kick, her boot connecting with the man’s head and snapping his neck sideways. He fell with a hollow thud and lay still, his body bent at all the wrong angles.

Silence fell again, and Sirius glanced over her shoulder, aware that the Outcasts were coming from two directions and unable to shake the feeling that they would rush her from behind at any moment.

But there was nothing.

The dead Outcast’s radio crackled, whining with static, and she heard a voice demanding he respond and report. The voice was tinny but decidedly angry sounding. They repeated themselves and when he didn’t respond the radio cut out with a whine.

Sirius searched the body, taking his gun and spare ammo clips and passing them to Reyes. “They know roughly where we are now, don’t they?” she murmured to him.

He nodded. “Yes, and they seem to know these caves.”

“Then we fight them head on,” she clenched her fists, ignoring SAM as he cautioned that her adrenaline and heartrate were spiking dangerously.

“We fight,” Reyes agreed. “There can’t be many left ahead, or they would have rushed us.”

They struck off, moving as silently as they could, aware that Outcasts could be waiting for them around every corner. The sound of voices grew steadily louder, until eventually they paused near a broad hollow cavern filled with more crates. Sirius risked a glance and saw at least ten Outcast raiders and two adhi on leashes, no doubt how they’d been tracked, then she and Reyes took cover as shouts alerted them that they had been spotted.

They were trapped. _Pinned_. Neither of them had expected so many mercs to be waiting for them, and panic rose up to wrap a choking hand around Sirius’ throat.

“Collective scum!” A woman yelled, the whining of an angry adhi almost drowning her out. “You’re dead if you keep this up you know, but if you come out we can work out a _deal_. Our boss just wants to talk.”

Sirius blinked in surprise and looked at Reyes, who gave his head a small shake and gestured for her to stay low.

“We don’t have to kill you,” she continued, sounding closer, “we could work out a trade. Your lives for information on your boss. It’s _that_ simple. We’re not all monsters like Sloane.”

Reyes’ eyes widened and he cursed under his breath in Spanish. “She doesn’t even know who we are,” he muttered, sounding surprised and slightly offended. “When they kept chasing us I assumed-“ He took a deep breath and glanced back at Sirius. “If we stay here and fight we’ll be killed; there are just too many of them. Maybe I can cut a deal with their boss if they take us to their base? Get you free in exchange for me? Or at least keep them busy long enough for you to get help-”

“Are you mad? If we go out there they’ll kill us,” Sirius shot back, panic tightening its grip as she saw Reyes thinking everything through. She _knew_ what he was thinking, she knew it was suicide, but she also knew he wasn’t going to listen to her if he thought he knew better. “Don’t you _dare_ do this to protect me! You can’t trust these people!”

“I don’t trust them,” he said softly, and leaned in to kiss her. “But I have a plan, and I think I have a way to get you free. Once you’re back in Kadara Port, you can alert Keema and-“

“Not if we’re both dead!” she hissed and grabbed hold of him, hanging on with bruising tightness. “Reyes you can’t be seriously thinking about going out there.”

He winked at her and slowly untangled her hands, the picture of a man in control. “We can stay here, fight and die. Or I go out there, dazzle them with my presence, and work out a deal to get you free. They might hate you for what happened with Sloane, but they hate me more, and I have something they want.”

“No!” Sirius shook her head vehemently, aware that the sounds of people approaching was louder now. They were so close. “They’ll kill you!”

“Maybe. But not if you’re fast enough with help.” Reyes winked. “Trust me. Besides, they still need to take us in to meet their boss, and when they see who they’ve caught, that’s just what they’re going to do.” His face softened and he leaned close, one gloved hand tenderly stoking her cheek as he stood up in a smooth movement. “I’m going to save you, Bluebird. Whether you like it or not.”

Then, before Sirius could say anything else, or make any move to stop him, Reyes threw down his gun, put his hands up, and walked out …

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_A/N - Yeah. Yeah I’m sure this is going to go great. This definitely isn't going to go terribly. Nope. No sirree .... *whistles innocently*_


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N - Oh goodness, well firstly thank you to everyone who read my last chapter and especially to the amazing people who reviewed - you're keeping me going at this stage! Thank you so much! Secondly, I'm so sorry for the lack of updates. A mixture of insane business with work and having to focus on writing for spec recs meant that I didn't have a great deal of time to dedicate to Sweet Little Lies for the last month. Luckily I'm now free and am on holidays! ^_^  I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!_

_Image of Sirius by Anunquenchableflame on Tumblr_

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Sirius clenched her hands into fists as Reyes walked out into the hands of men who would undoubtedly kill him. Her nails bit into the leather of her fingerless gloves, her heart hammered in her chest; flinging itself against the bony cage of its ribs as though trying to break free, and her lungs burned as she struggled to draw in breath. A giant hand seemed to be squeezing her tightly, holding her prisoner and forcing the air from her lungs.

_There was no reason for him to do this._

_They should have fought._

_They could have tried._

The thoughts swirled endlessly through her mind, turning over and over, and she blinked back furious tears as her biotics began to blaze around her, ignited by fear and rage at the thought of losing Reyes when she had only just got him back. After so many mistakes in their relationship together, after innumerable missteps and stumbles, they had somehow made it back to each other, and he was throwing it all away.

Sirius stood up in a violent movement, pushing to her feet in a thrust of biotic energy that boiled like blue fire, crackling around her feet.

 _He couldn’t do this!_  She thought furiously.  _He can’t hand himself over to those monsters! To men and women who had blindly followed Sloane. Who had beaten men and women for money! Who had addicted so many to the drug Oblivion! Who had left so many to die in the wastelands!_

Each thought strengthened her biotics and fed her anger. Rage bubbled within her; a furious red-hot fury that seethed and writhed in her stomach like a bag of snakes.

 ** _Ryder, this course of action is not advised. Antagonising the Outcasts may jeopardise Mr. Vidal and yourself_** _,_  SAM cautioned her, his voice the buzzing of an annoying fly.

Sirius ignored him, waving her hand to silence him and then picking up the gun that Reyes had dropped. Adrenaline both heightened and dampened her senses. Time seemed to run slow, and though she heard with a crystal clarity, she barely registering the yells of the Outcasts as she stepped out in view on a storm of biotic power. The air crackled, lighting up as she flared, and for a moment it seemed the sight of her stunned them, one man even backed up a step.

“It’s the fucking  _Pathfinder_!” A woman shouted, her voice almost hysterical. “What the fuck? I thought the intel said they hated each?”

The guns that has been pointed at Reyes swivelled to train on her, and numerous pairs of hostile eyes narrowed with surprising hate. Sirius didn't care. They'd kill him if he did this, and she wouldn't let him throw his life away for hers.

_She'd kill them._

_She'd kill all of them even if it took her own life._

She advanced, tiny rocks and grey puffs of cave dust drawn from the floor by her biotics like magic. They swirled around her with each step like tiny moons pulled into her orbit, dancing in the blue light, glowing with the blue fire that filled her body and blazed from her eyes.

"Ryder!" Reyes’ voice whipped out, razor sharp and so coldly commanding it broke through her rage. For a moment she hesitated, frozen in place, her dark energy buzzing through her body in an angry snarl of power, then she turned to look at him, her tense neck muscles protesting the movement. "This is not Initiative business!” Reyes snapped at her again, his commanding tone unmistakable. “ _Back off_!"

The guns stayed trained on her as the seconds ticked by, each moment stretching on dangerously. Reyes gave nothing away, he didn't even look in her direction, but she could  _feel_  him willing her to stop what she was doing and calm down. She could see it in the tense line of his back and the ticking muscle in his jaw.

The Outlaws watched her as though she was dangerous; as though they wanted a reason to open fire. And with a force of will that took everything within her, Sirius lowered the gun and stopped flaring. It physically hurt to swallow her biotics back down, to force that prickling wave of power to dissipate, but she managed.

The person in charge, a spikey looking turian with clan marks of red and white, bristled and paced towards her.

"Take him," he nodded at Reyes, his dual tones rising sharply. "Secure him in the back and contact Dorado. She'll want to know who we caught." He turned back to her, his small eyes burning with  _hate_. "This one," he curled a hand into a fist and made as if to hit her. Sirius flinched, and he smiled, pleased. "This one we should kill and leave for dead in the desert in revenge for Sloane, but we'll bring her back. Dorado might want to play with her too."

_In revenge for Sloane?_

She looked over at Reyes, but he continued to look away.

 _What the hell was going on?_  She wondered as she let the rest of her power drain away.  _Why the hell were they blaming her for Sloane’s death?_

The Outcasts were none too gentle as they bound her arms behind her back and marched them out of the cave. The shuttle they forced them into was banged about, pockmarked and badly burned, and Sara marvelled that they’d been able to track them down in something so old and rickety. Still, it flew fine, and they were airborne within minutes.

“Why are they blaming me for Sloane’s death?” she asked Reyes under her breath while their guards were distracted.

He shrugged, the gesture small so as not to draw attention. “You were supposed to be her backup, and instead betrayed her,” he suggested. “That tends to make people pretty angry.”

“She tried to kill me!” Irritation boiled through Sirius and she ground her teeth, a sour taste in her mouth. “It’s not like I’m the one who lured her there and shot her in the back.”

Reyes’ eyes flicked up and met gaze, and she finally saw the worry he’d been trying to hide from her. “Believe me, I know what happened in that cave. But they’ve only heard the story from Dorado, and who knows what she told them.” His gaze darted away, checking that their guards were still distracted. “It’s obvious that Dorado has something against you, or the Initiative maybe? I’m not sure why, but … .” He frowned. “I feel like I’m missing something.”

“Nothing about this makes sense. We should have hidden or fought our way free.” Sirius shifted closer, so their thighs touched. “She’s going to torture you. You know that?”

He tried to smile, but his eyes froze. “She may not. I’ll be more than forth coming with certain details.”

“And why would you do that?”

“Because,” this time he smirked, and the expression looked genuine, “I haven’t left my people or our systems undefended. If Dorado accesses certain files in our system files,” he trailed off as the guards turned back towards them and winked at her. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. You just work on talking your way out and getting help.”

Sirius nodded, but the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach persisted.

“And Bluebird?” Reyes nudged her gently with his knee. “Don’t let them know we’re together again. It’s safer for you if they think our relationship is a professional one. I can take it if they torture me. But if they start on you… .” he trailed off and shrugged. “I’ve been through it once before. I don’t want it to happen again, especially not because of me.”

She gave him a wry smile. “My lips are sealed.”

“We’ll get through this. Trust me.”

Sirius tried to give him a reassuring smile but couldn’t seem to make the expression reach her eyes. Reyes nodded anyway, seeming to understand everything she wasn’t saying, then he turned his attention back to the guards, listening to their whispered conversation and peering up at the cockpit as though hopeful for clues as to their location.

“SAM,” Sirius focused on being constructive, and gave her AI a mental poke. “Let me know if that interference lets up,” she tucked her chin against her chest as she spoke under her breath. “And the moment it does, send an SOS to the Tempest and to the Collective HQ.”

He acknowledged her orders and fell silent. The flight didn’t last long, then they were dragged to their feet and shoved out into a landing pad inside another featureless cave in a nightmarish scenario that seemed like something out of a movie. The remaining Outcasts had gathered to jeer at them, and though Sirius kept her head high as she walked past them, fear squirmed in her stomach.

The tension in the room was palpable and tempers seemed frayed. One man took a swing at Reyes and the guard did nothing to stop him, nor did Reyes, who grunted as the blow knocked him to one knee. The crowd yowled and seethed, barely restraining themselves now that one of them had acted, and Sirius had the feeling they were about to be torn apart.

Scenes from a nature documentary she’d seen as child played through her mind. In it, a troupe of baboons had captured an enemy baby and had torn it limb from limb while it was still alive. Then they’d devoured its bloody flesh.

The room felt like that: pure animalistic hate.

Barely restrained  _rage_.                 

A powder keg waiting to explode.

Someone picked up a steel bar and hurled it at Sirius. Unable to dodge, it slammed into her shoulder, the thick steel ringing as it connected with her bone, and a wave of white hot pain shot down her arm. She must have screamed; her vision certainly went white for a moment and her entire world focused in on the intense fiery agony of her arm. When she was able to focus again the crowd was surging around them in a frenzy, screaming abuse, and the guards had to get between them.

They hurried them along abruptly, growling out warnings that Dorado  _wanted them alive,_ and for some reason the mention of Dorado checked their anger, seemed to scare them in a way that Sloane never had, and even through her pain Sirius tucked that knowledge away.

_They were scared of Dorado._

Pain crawled over Sirius’ shoulder and down her arm, a cool trickling sensation telling her that she had damaged a nerve, maybe fractured the bone. She tried to make a fist with her hand and almost screamed as the simple motion sent a piercing wave of needle-sharp through her body. The agony so intense she almost fell, and dazzling starbursts of white danced in her vision. She concentrated on breathing. Desperately dragging in each breath.

“Get moving!” The guard behind her roughly shoved her forward, and her temper spiked, biotics flaring as pain and fear twirled together in a dangerous and heady cocktail. The guard laughed and waved his gun at her. “Give me a reason, you Initiative bitch. Give me a fucking reason.”

 ** _Caution is advised, Pathfinder_** _._  SAM reminded her gently. ** _I can temporarily boost your adrenaline levels and dampen your pain sensors as I did on the Archon’s ship, but I would suggest you wait for a more strategic moment._**

Sirius smiled, an ugly and dangerous smile, nodding to SAM as she narrowed her eyes at the guard. “Dorado wants us alive, remember?” she reminded him sweetly.

The guard’s smile melted away and in a blur of movement he hit her, a backhanded slap that sent her reeling into a wall. Reyes, to his credit, didn’t flinch at the abuse, though she saw his hands clench behind his back. She picked herself up with as much dignity as she could, her arm numb with pain.

“Alive doesn’t mean we can’t mess you up some,” the guard growled and grabbed hold of her jacket, wrenching her forward. “Now get moving.”

She walked, a defiant smirk settling over her features as she spat a glob of blood on the floor near his boots. It earned her another rough shove, but he didn’t hit her again. Sirius almost wished he would, the pain made her angrier, and the anger gave her a reckless kind of power.

A scarred asari came hurrying towards them from down the hallway, her pale blue eyes sliding from her to Reyes and then to the main guard. Behind her, came Dorado. The woman looked much the same as she always had, only the Collective armour was gone now, and she looked a little more confidant and self-assured.

Her eyes positively glowed as they fell on Sirius and Reyes, and she grinned.

“Well, well, well.” She came to a stop and crossed her arms over her chest. “I thought we’d just caught a few more of your mice today, but never did I think we’d actually caught the Charlatan himself.” Dorado threw a glance at Sirius. “And the Pathfinder too! What a surprise.”

Reyes gave her a bitter smile. “A bit like thinking you’ve found a penny on the ground and discovering it’s a gold coin?”

The other woman threw her head back and laughed. “Just like that. Normally my spies keep me better informed about your movements, but even they didn’t know you were flying the shuttle today. Very sneaky. Though I can imagine why.” Her gaze slid back to Sirius once more. “Patched things up, have we?”

“It’s purely business.” Reyes shrugged. “The Pathfinder doesn’t trust me, so I was trying to show her that I’m dependable.”

“Well,” Doroda’s grin widened. “You sure showed her. How about it, Pathfinder? Do you trust the Charlatan?”

Sirius slowly shook her head, not wanting to give Dorado anymore ammunition to use against Reyes or herself. Though she’d be damned if she let her know the truth about them. “Not really. Once bitten, twice shy.”

She howled with laughter at that and clapped Reyes on the back, ignoring the look of hate he flashed in her direction. “Wonderful. Of course, I don’t believe you. But it was worth it to see that look on his face.” Dorado wiped a tear of mirth from her eye and then straightened, her humour fading as she slipped into business mode. She faced the guards. “Take him to the lab and prep him for interrogation. I’ll take the _Pathfinder_  with me for some quality girl talk.”

They were splitting them up.

She’d known they were going to, of course she had. But somehow she hadn’t thought it would be right away. Something must have shown on her face, and Dorado laughed, a cold high sound that was like nails down a chalkboard.

“Oh look, she’s scared of leaving you.” She smirked. “Don’t worry, we’ll let you say goodbye. You may as well since there won’t be much left by the time we’re through with you both.”

She grabbed her, nails digging carelessly into her injured shoulder as she thrust her towards Reyes. Sirius collided with his chest and almost bounced off. Dorado laughed as though it was the funniest thing she’d ever seen.

Reyes ignored her though and bent his lips to her ear, speaking rapidly and quietly. His voice, though low, was urgent and warning. “This isn’t what I expected. Things have changed. I don’t know what Dorado wants, but don’t trust her.” Tension sliced through his tone like a razorblade, and Sirius stood a little taller, startled by how blunt he was being. “When they interrogate me I’m going to give them what they want, and a little surprise on top of that.”

“What do you-?” she started to ask, but he kept talking.

“Let me finish. The Collective is ready for just this kind of attack, I told you that.” He paused and drew a breath. “You’ll know when it happens; they’ll panic. Get out and get free. Don’t worry about me. Do you understand? Do not try to find me. I’ll take care of myself.”

Sirius drew back a little, conscious of Dorado watching them with amusement even though she couldn’t hear their conversation.

“No.  _I won’t_. I won’t leave you here.”

He smiled slightly, just a small twitch of one side of his lips. “Your enthusiasm makes my heart sing, Bluebird. But I can’t let you destroy yourself for me. Now,  _promise me_.”

“Reyes-“

“Promise me you’ll leave.”

Sirius gave a jerky nod and averted her eyes. “Fine. I promise.”

 _I promise I’ll get you free_ , she added silently.

“Good. Remember that I love you. No matter what happens.”

“ _Reyes_!” Sirius could feel tears welling in her eyes and she blinked furiously, refusing to cry in front of Dorado. “I love you too,” she whispered. “Dammit!”

Reyes abruptly drew back with a wink, and he glanced at Dorado. “I’m ready. And you won’t have to interrogate me; I’ll tell you whatever you want to know in exchange for her freedom.” He nodded at Sirius. “Just let the Pathfinder go.”

“Well, well.” Dorado smirked. “Is this love, Vidal? Or self Interest?”

“Neither.” His eyes flashed, and Sirius shivered as Reyes became the Charlatan in front of her. “I’m not stupid. The Initiative needs the Pathfinder. Even Kadara needs hers. It’s not self interest so much as common fucking sense.”

She chuckled. “I’m sure  _fucking_  has something to do with it, it always did with you. But sense?” Her eyes slipped from Reyes over to Sirius. “I’m not so sure. One Pathfinder dies and another is chosen, that’s how it works, right? They’re practically disposable. I could kill her right now and it wouldn’t change anything then the person reporting to that moron Tann.”

Sirius ground her teeth. “Can you stop talking like I’m not here?”

Her biotics bristled furiously, and a brief flare of power lit the air around her. The asari who had come down the hallway with Dorado instantly stepped between her mistress and Sirius, her own biotics licking over her skin.

Dorado laughed and gestured to the guards. “Take him away.” She winked at Reyes. “We’ll continue this discussion later.”

“I look forward to it,” Reyes spat the words, but the woman only smiled.

“Oh, I doubt that.” Her horrible cold gaze fell back on Sirius, and she gestured to her asari bodyguard. “Bring her.”

The asari caught her up in a biotic field and marched her along, giving her no chance to get free. She glanced behind her and met Reyes eyes, the two of them exchanging a wordless glance that lasted only a second. He looked calm, reassuring, but it still took almost everything in her not to pull free of the asari and run back to his side.

A horrible sinking falling feeling settled in the pit of her stomach; a hard lump of the worst kind of anticipation.

Whatever they were planning to do to Reyes was bad, and her skin crawled at the thought of him being tortured or killed. He might have been confidant that he could talk his way out of his predicament, but she wasn’t so sure, especially with the way the asari’s eyes were glinting so maliciously, as though relishing the thought of seeing him in pain.

 “You’re really hung up on him, aren’t you?” Dorado asked conversationally as they walked. “I’m surprised, given what happened between the two of you.”

Sirius pulled her gaze from Reyes’, her heart twisting painfully at the loss of connection.

_God, please don’t let them hurt him. Don’t let the worst happen. Not now. Not when I’ve only found him again._

The thought beat like a pulse inside of her, pounding in time to her heartbeat.

“What does that mean?” she snapped. “What happened between the two of us?”

“Oh, you know,” Dorado paused by a door, used a key card to unlock it, and the asari shoved Sirius in. “The torture you went through at the hands of one of his own men. And all those  _lies_. So many of them. I’m surprised you can even look at him.”

The women followed her in, closed the door, and the locks clicked into place. The room was stark and empty, clearly an interrogation room, and Sirius’ blood ran cold to see the stainless-steel chair with its wrist and ankle straps, and the drainage grate beneath it. A grate which was stained pinkish with blood they hadn’t quite washed away.

Her stomach rolled, and a creeping sensation like spiders crawling over her skin washed over her. The room wavered as her vision blurred, tension wrapping iron bands around her chest and squeezing. Sirius clenched her hands into fists and closed her eyes, counting to ten, slowing her breathing, and calming her racing pulse.

_Was this just another trap?_

_Was this how she was going to die?_

_Tortured to death?_

She could still feel the knife of the Collective torturer cutting through her skin. Each blow he’d struck. The sounds of her bones breaking as he’d twisted her arm. And the pain. Beyond anything she’d known as he’d peeled skin from her forearm.

Sirius shuddered and shook her head, desperate to rid herself of the memories. Instead she focused on Dorado, and what she’s said. Dorado had mentioned the torture, but surely …  _surely_ , she couldn’t have known about that? Reyes had said he’d killed the man who’d done it, and he hadn’t gone around advertising that one of his own men had betrayed him, had he?

“How do you know about that?” she asked after a minute, opening her eyes to find Dorado watching her with a look of delight. “How do you know what happened to me?”

The Outlaw laughed, throwing her head back and aiming a malicious grin at Sirius. “Clever little cookie, aren’t we? I know because I organised it.” She cackled. “Surprise!”

The room spun around Sirius, and she wobbled unsteadily again.

Dorado continued, her words raining down like blows. “I had it all planned out, you know. I was already chipping away at Vidal’s authority from within by sending out conflicting orders and pretending to be him. Eventually I was going to take control of the Collective for myself.”

Sirius swallowed, unable to believe what she was hearing. “But … you’re just one person. You’re  _nobody_.”

“Am I?” The smile melted off her face and she glowered. “I work for an organisation called Cerberus. I came here with a team of scientists intending to make a name for ourselves. But everything was a mess when we arrived, and nothing was what we thought it would be in Andromeda. Still, I watched Sloane take out the kett in Kadara and set up shop, and I could see the potential. When Vidal set up his little gang too, it seemed a good opportunity to work some magic and take over.” She sneered. “But then  _you_  showed up.”

“Me?” Sirius felt stupid, repeating the word, but she could barely process what she was hearing. “What did I do?”

“You ruined everything. You gave your support to Vidal and suddenly the Collective had a stronger position. Suddenly facing down the Charlatan meant facing down  _you_  and the Initiative. So,” the smile crept back onto her face. “I took steps to take you out of the equation. Organised for you to be captured by one of our own agents and let it be known that you were  _actually_  working for Sloane.” She paused, looking annoyed. “The idiot was supposed to kill you, but Reyes got to you before that could happen. So here we are.”

“Here we are,” Sirius murmured, feeling sick.

Fury swept through her like a burning wind, flickering embers of rage igniting inside of her as she stared at the woman who was responsible for so much pain and misery.  _Dorado_  was the reason she’d been tortured.  _Dorado_  was the reason for her nightmares.  _Dorado_  was the reason she’d walked away from Reyes and had gone through months of heartache.

“You bitch,” Sirius spat abruptly, and she started to stride forward, intent on hurting the woman who had hurt her.

But she’d forgotten about the asari, and with a strangled cry, she found herself flung across the room by a biotic throw. The asari’s biotics rippled over Sirius’ skin like tiny red-hot pinpricks of pain. She tried to get up, to move, but the asari was strong, impressively so, and she held her down effortlessly with a forcefield.

“Uh-uh!” Dorado walked over waggling a finger, that infuriating look of amusement on her face. “Don’t worry, Pathfinder. I’m going to have my way with you later. My speciality back on Earth was always animal toxins and poisons, and Kadara has given me several  _very_  interesting specimens to play with. I’m going to  _love_  trying them out on you. But,” her smile widened. “I have a date with your boyfriend first, and I have to admit, I’m looking forward to hearing him scream.”

“Fuck you!” Sirius raged, struggling uselessly against the asari’s hold. “You won’t break him!”

“Won’t I?” she crouched next to her and touched the exposed tattoo on Sirius’ forearm, her nails tracing the snake that covered the worst of her torture scars. “We all break in the end, Pathfinder,” she said conversationally, and her eyes seemed to sparkle with an inhuman joy at the thought of causing pain. “After all,  _you broke_ , and you’re the great Pathfinder.”

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_A/N - Oh dear ... it seems that Dorado is not who either of them thought she was, and she's been playing a very dangerous game on Kadara for longer than anyone knew. Looks like Reyes and Sirius are in some pretty serious trouble! As always reviews and feedback are very welcome!_


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N - Thank you so much to everyone who R &R'd my last chapter - your kind words really kept me going when I got stuck with this chapter. And as always I'm sorry for the massive delay. I really hit some road blocks with this chapter, but we're almost at the end and this chapter was a difficult one to write. The art is by Avionetca, and this chapter contains torture. It will be an upsetting one for some people.**

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"You _did_ kill her, you know."

The asari's voice drifted through the room like the whisper of dry leaves, and Sirius jumped at the unexpected nearness of the sound, her eyes rolling as she tried to locate her. It was impossible; the weight of the other woman's biotics pressed down, pinning her to the floor, and though she grunted with effort as she tried to turn her head, she couldn’t move it more than a millimetre.

Anger coursed through her; fury at Dorado for everything she’d confessed to, and at this nameless asari who was taking such pleasure in tormenting her. The rage was good. As hot and horrible as the emotion felt as it bubbled away in the pit of her belly, it kept her fear at bay, and helped her focus on getting free.

And she _would_ get free.

“I don’t-“

"Don't bother denying it,  _Pathfinder_." A boot stomped hard next to her head and Sirius flinched as the metal floor rang with vibrations. "You stuck her with your knife when you should have had her back."

_Sloane. She was talking about Sloane again._

Sirius grit her teeth with the effort of trying to fight free of the crushing biotics, but it was useless. "Slone betrayed  _me_!” she hissed as she stared up into those cold blue eyes. “Not the other way around!"

"Liar!" With an elegant flick of her wrist, the asari Lifted and then Threw her at the wall.

There was a moment of weightlessness, and then Sirius rammed into the reinforced steel with enough force to leave her blinking and dazed. Her ears rang, the vibrations echoing through her skull, and the slick warmth of blood trickled down the side of her head. 

"You killed her, and that bastard Vidal helped,” the asari said as she advanced, her face twisting with malice. "But you'll pay. You'll pay for everything you've done. For taking Kadara from us. For killing Sloane." She spat on her. "Dorado promised to break you both."

She sneered and tightened her biotics like a giant hand; squeezing until Sirius' ribs cracked like dry twigs as she lifted her bodily from the floor. She screamed, tears stinging her eyes as red-hot pokers of pain lanced through her chest, then twisted and gasped as the blue-devil squeezed harder, cutting off her cry of pain and forcing the air from her lungs with a squeak.

Sirius panicked, writhing desperately as she fought to draw breath; her fingers clawing at the air in her terror. The asari’s laughter fell like acid rain as she allowed her to draw in one frantic, shallow breath, and then crushed her tightly once more. Sirius twitched like a broken puppet as she asphyxiated, dazed, her eyes rolling and hands clenching as she fought desperately to draw breath. To get free. To do  _something_.

“Poor little human. I  _should_  put you out of your misery,” the asari trilled as though she were having the time of her life. “It would be a mercy really, to save you from the fate Dorado is dealing out to the Charlatan. And besides,” her mouth curved into a horrible smile, “this way I can personally make sure your ending is as painful and pathetic as it deserves to be.”

There was a brief crackle in the air around Sirius, a spasm of energy that trickled over her skin, then the ex-Huntress smashed her against the wall again. The back of Sirius’ skull connected with a sickening crack that sent cold-fire arcing through her neck and down her back. Her vision doubled, darkening around the edges, and the room spun. She heard a choked whimpering and dimly realised the noises were coming from her as she tried to scream and breath at the same time.

**_Pathfinder_** _,_  SAM spoke up,  ** _I recommend allowing me to take emergency measures so I can administer adrenaline and numb your pain receptors. Your vitals are becoming erratic._**

_"Please,"_ she managed to gasp, her hands trembling as something wet and warm, blood she hoped, began to drip down the back of her neck.

More acidic laughter rang out. “Begging already? How  _pathetic_.”

The asari glowed blue, her biotics blinding as she crouched, aimed a nasty grin at Sirius, and then leapt forward. Her hold momentarily faded as she Charged, and for a brief moment Sirius hung suspended. Then the asari slammed into her; shoulder charging against her mid-section and crushing her against the wall.

Sirius screamed. She could help it. The scream of pain was torn out of her and abruptly cut off as her ribs were crushed and the air squeezed from her lungs. Her head whirled, and it seemed to her that the asari held her for a moment, almost lover-like, her face split with that awful smile.

The room spun dangerously, and Sirius shuddered as nausea wracked her body. She wanted to fight back but she couldn't hold on. A fuzzy static ate at the edge of her vision, and it was a struggle to keep her eyes open or drawn in breath.

Everything hurt. 

“SAM-“ she tried to speak but only a hoarse whimper came out.

**_Emergency protocols are active, Ryder. I'm stimulating the adrenal gland, numbing pain receptors, and boosting your biotic abilities. The effects will not last long, so I suggest haste._ **

It happened between one heartbeat and the next. One breath burned, as though she were inhaling razorblades, and the next felt smooth and easy. The agonising tightness in her chest eased and warmth spread through her body, starting in her core and crawling through her limbs. The ringing in her ears eased as her heart beat slowed and everything around her came sharply into focus.

“… can kiss it all good bye now, _human_!” The asari had her face inches from Sirius’ own, and her eyes swirled like distant galaxies as she wrapped a hand around her throat.

Her biotics sizzled; snapping and crackling as they leapt off her skin and coiled through the air like bright blue snakes. Sirius struggled, preparing to fight like a wild cat to break free, when with a start she realised that she was no longer restricted; the stasis was down. The asari had been so convinced that she was on her way out that she had let her guard down.

Sirius smiled, and she was pleased to see the asari hesitate as she reached up and grabbed her wrists. “You should have killed me when you had the chance.”

She jerked the other woman’s hand away from her throat, twisting until she howled with pain and released her hair. The asari leapt back, gnashing her teeth as she dropped into a fighting pose, her eyes turning dark as a starry night.

“Maybe you should have died when you had the chance,” she spat. “Have you ever taken on an asari commando before, little human? We don’t _just_ make pretty biotic lights like you do-”

Sirius moved fast, pushing off the wall and Charging forward. She smashed into the asari mid-sentence and was pleased to hear the air leave her lungs in a startled _whoosh_. She tried to swing herself around to land another blow, but the asari _was_ faster still, and her fist landed on empty air as she dodged out of the way.

Then the asari attacked, dancing forward in a blur of speed and fists.

Sirius flung herself back, avoiding a flurry of blows that rained down almost faster than the eye could follow. She gathered her power and flared, her biotics blazing in a brilliant glow, bathing the room in a stunning white light as she caught the other woman up in a Lift and hurled her across the room. The asari screamed as she hit the wall at an awkward angle and dropped to the floor, panting, her pale eyes rolling as they fluttered and she went still.

She took a step towards her, heart pounding. “SAM, is she …?”

**_The asari is unconscious but her vitals are strong._ **

“Pity, I was hoping to kill her.”

Sirius rifled through the other woman’s clothes and found the key card for the door, then hesitated. A hot swell of fury pulsed through her, a desire to grab the asari and smash her against the floor over and over again until her head split open and her brains leaked out over the floor. The violent rush of hate was so sudden, and so unlike her, that Sirius shivered.

She _wanted_ to kill her. She _wanted_ to rip her to bits-

**_Ryder,_** SAM’s voice snapped her back to reality, and she forced herself to concentrate on what he was saying. ** _I believe this facility’s mainframe has been hacked. The dampening field preventing me from sending a message to the Pathfinder team is now down and I have successfully sent our location to the Tempest crew. They are on their way._**

“I … thank you … SAM.” Talking was difficult, and with an effort Sirius, pocketed the key card and ignored the asari.

She stood up, and, with what felt like gargantuan effort, backed away on legs that trembled with rage. But she wouldn’t give in. She wasn’t going to become like these people. She wasn’t violent and cruel, and she didn’t destroy for the sake of destroying, even if her body screamed with the need to lash out and hurt the woman who had hurt her.

Though it would be so easy to snap her neck while she was defenceless …

Horrified at the direction of her thoughts, Sirius reeled back. “SAM? Can you find Reyes and get us out of here?”

**_I can try, Ryder._ **

She swiped the card and the door opened. Praying the hallway was empty on the other side, she took a deep breath and stepped through. Silence greeted her, and with a sigh of relief she paused to get her bearings.

“Any idea where I should go?”

**_I’m detecting Mr Vidal’s signature in a room approximately two hundred metres down this hallway to the right. He is alone, though his life signs are-_** SAM paused and if Sirius hadn’t known better she could have sworn that the AI sounded hesitant. **_His life signs are erratic. He may be in some distress._**

Sirius swallowed and set off in that direction, ignoring the buzzing in her head as a wave of dizziness washed over her. Evidently the adrenaline was starting to wear off.

She paused as a door opened ahead, and moved into a side passage, holding her breath as she heard shouts and running footsteps. _Had she been discovered?_ She stayed hidden for a few minutes, then the men ran in the other direction, and her path was clear again.

**_Ryder, did Mr Vidal not instruct you to leave as soon as you were free, and to leave him behind?_ **

"I'm not leaving without him. You heard what Dorado said – _she’s_ the reason I got tortured. Not Reyes. Hell, she tried to _kill me,_ and Reyes saved me. And when I think of what I said to him when we broke up-” She shook her head slowly, as much to clear her head as to emphasise her words. “Dorado tried to kill me because I got in the way of her little power play. So no, I’m not leaving him here to die. Reyes will understand,” Sirius suddenly laughed. “Don’t worry SAM, he knows all about these sorts of little lies."

She smiled grimly and checked the hallway ahead, hesitating as more shouts sounded in the distance and the sound of running footsteps echoed nearby; something was wrong in the facility. A scream sounded, muffled and distant, and the hair on the back of her beck bristled as she recognised Reyes’ voice. The yell was agonised, and her heart leapt painfully as a fresh rush of adrenaline surged through her.

She automatically reached for her gun and let out a frustrated growl when her hand brushed against her hip instead.

"Dammit. SAM, what's going on?"

**_I'm detecting distant alarms. It appears Mr Vidal’s plans have worked._** He paused and then continued. **_I would suggest moving through the facility with caution. The power grid is experiencing periodic failures as systems crash._**

“I’ll be careful-“ she broke off, wincing as an alarm began wailing overhead, deafeningly loud. Red warning lights flashed along the wall. “Great. Well, I probably won’t hear any bad guys sneaking up on me now, but at least they won’t hear me coming either.”

**_That’s the spirit, Ryder. Stay positive._ **

Sirius set off, moving as quickly as she dared. The lights along the wall flickered, struggling valiantly to stay on, before they winked out one by one like the herald of some dark beast. Darkness stole along the corridor; a rolling wave of reddish-black that swallowed Sirius whole and wrapped itself around her. She welcomed the velvety cloak of darkness. Welcomed the dim emergency lighting that cast everything in a hellish glow.

It seemed fitting that after everything Dorado had done, after all her scheming and plotting, she had shot herself so perfectly in the foot when she had finally caught Reyes. Sirius scowled as she continued along, half-hoping the woman would show herself so she could take a more physical kind of revenge, and half-terrified that she would.

The alarm mostly drowned out Reyes' screams, but SAM's voice sounded in her head clear as a bell.

**_The dampening field appears to have been brought down by a VI virus which the Collective implanted behind a faux firewall in their system. Dorado was so eager for information that she attempted to download as much as she could without bothering to segment it off from her own system._** The AI paused and sounded vaguely amused.  ** _The VI does not recognise me as a friendly and is now attempting to hack me._**

Sirius froze. “Are you in danger?”

**_No. But thank you for your concern. I will continue to monitor your vitals and broadcast our location to the Tempest while I resist it’s attempts._ **

"Thanks SAM," She grunted as she forced herself into a jog, her head reeling as she half-staggered down the hallway and made for the doorway through which she could now hear Reyes' agonised screams.

Fear and anger washed over her, ten times stronger than earlier on. This time she  _would_  kill whichever Outcast member was behind that door. If it was Dorado then she would make her pay. She would rip her limb from limb, and tear flesh from bone if she had to.

She skidded to a stop near the door through which the screams were coming when they abruptly stopped. A chill ran down her spine. As horrifying as Reyes’ screams had been, the endless wailing of the alarm without those muffled cries was somehow worse.

Somehow _louder_.

Without warning the alarm cut off too. Sirius sucked in a breath and fumbled with the stolen key card in the deafening silence, her hand shaking so badly it took three tries to fit it in the slot. The door light flashed green, signalling it had unlocked, and with an ominous squeal, the door swung inwards to reveal the dimly lit room.

“Reyes?” She stepped inside slowly, her eyes moving from left to right, alert to danger. Her ears still rang from the alarms, and the adrenaline SAM had used on her earlier had worn off, leaving her lightheaded.

“Siri?”

Reyes lay on the far side of the room, strapped onto a medical table and looking, at first glance, as though nothing serious had been done to him; though his hair was ruffled and his voice slurred as he repeated her name. In the dim emergency lighting it was hard to make much out, but as she drew closer to him she could see marks on his face where he’d been beaten, and blood dripped almost delicately from one nostril and an eye.

“Reyes!” She sprinted across the room and hugged him. He looked worse close-up, and she kissed him briefly, though he barely responded to her. “Hang on, I’ll get you free!”

He shook his head and coughed violently, turning his face away as blood splattered down his chin. “No. Get out of here. Dorado injected me with something.” His voice slurred and he gritted his teeth as though fighting back a scream, his back arching as his eyes closed.

Sirius swallowed back her fear and started working on the restraints holding him down. “I’m not going anywhere, just hold on.”

Reyes groaned. “It hurts. I can’t … I can’t …”

He screamed again and shuddered, his muscled pulling tight as his entire body contorted and spasmed. Sirius stepped back as he thrashed, frantically looking for something, anything in the room that could help him.

There was nothing.

**_Ryder, I’m detecting large amounts of a diluted acid in Mr Vidal’s bloodstream-_ **

“ _Acid_? Like the drug? Or acid that burns?” Sirius could hear the horror in her own voice as she stepped closer, Reyes’ screams twisted something inside of her. The agonised expression on his face as his body spasmed was more than she could take.

**_The acid appears to have been harvested from an eiroch. The solution has been diluted so as to not kill him immediately, but to leave him in extreme pain._** SAM hesitated, and it was a hesitation Sirius had some to hate. **_He needs immediate medical attention to neutralise it or he will not survive._**

“SAM, what do I do?” she moved back to Reyes’ side as the spasm’s receded and he went limp on the table. She undid the restraints and then rifled the bench nearby, looking again for something to help her. “SAM!” Sirius shouted, tension radiating through her. “ _What do I do_?

**_I’m sorry, Ryder. There is nothing_ ** **you _can do except keep him comfortable._**

“Damn you!” she slammed a fist against the bench and turned back around to Reyes. “Reyes?” She touched him gently on the shoulder, unsure of what would hurt him or if he was even awake.

His eyes fluttered open again, and with a lurch he tried to sit up. “You … need to go,” he mumbled.

“Not without you. Now come on!” Sirius flung an arm around his shoulders and tried to help him up. He didn’t reply, and she cursed as he began sliding off the table and onto the floor. “Reyes, please! You have to help me here! You have to try and stand.”

She tried brace her feet but he was a dead weight in her arms and he slipped to his knees with a grunt of pain. A thick burbling cough wracked his chest, and she winced as he coughed blood across the metal grate in front of him. He looked up at her, his hazel eyes unfocused, the whites of his eyes muddied with blood and broken capillaries. His gaze found hers, and he half-lifted a hand a hand to her as though unsure if she was real, confusion crossing his face.

“You … were supposed … to leave,” Reyes slurred, his accent thick as he struggled to speak around his injuries. “You _lied_.” He almost sounded amused, then another thin trickle of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. “Stubborn woman … .”

For a moment she thought he might get to his feet by himself, that maybe everything would be alright, then his eyes rolled up in to his head, his face contorted in an expression of pain, and he pitched forward onto the floor.

Terribly silent.

Terribly still.

Silence crashed through the room in a deafening roar.

“Reyes?”  For a moment Sirius stood paralysed, unable to move, then she flung herself down and rolled him over.

He turned easily, his body boneless and compliant.

“Reyes? Come on!”

Her hands shook, numb and fumbling as she felt for a pulse against his neck. There was so much blood, too much blood, and her fingers slipped again and again as she tried to feel for a pulse. Her head spun, and she cursed the head injury that made it so hard to concentrate.

She froze. _Was that a pulse she had felt? Or just her imagination?_ She tried again and whimpered as her blood-slicked fingers slid around the skin of his neck and she found nothing. Frantically, she curled her hands into the lapels of his vest. This couldn’t be happening. This wasn’t happening. He couldn’t be gone. She couldn’t believe it. Wouldn’t believe it. Not Reyes. _Not like this._

“Reyes! Please! Say something, dammit!” Tears, hot and wet, blurred her vision, and she felt them splash over her hands as they clutched his body, moving over him, constantly searching for some sign of life. “Please, just … come on! Say something and I promise everything can be like it was. You and me. I promise! Just … wake up, please!”

She wasn’t sure how long she continued talking to Reyes, screaming at him, shaking him. It didn’t feel like that long. But eventually until other people arrived and hands tried to drag her away. She clung. Reyes wasn’t moving. He wasn’t waking up. She screamed all the harder when people tried to pry her hands off him.

Dimly, she recognised Liam’s voice talking to her and knew it was her team, but still she didn’t let go.

Other voices, reassuring, tried to calm her down, to tell her that they would make sure he was taken care of, that she had to let go of him now. She didn’t. She wouldn’t let go, couldn’t let go … if she let go then Reyes would be gone and she would be all alone again.

That blackness, the horrible loneliness, swam at the edges of her mind, and she shied away from it.

Eventually Sirius felt the sting of a needle in her arm, the room swam around her, and blackness welled up faster than she would have thought possible. The last thing she saw was Reyes’ face, smeared with blood, then Lexi was moving between them and kneeling next to him, as Liam leaned over her with that all too familiar look of guilty concern on her face.

“Ryder, I’m so sorry-“

* * *

 

**A/N - Oh dear. Poor Sirius. Poor Reyes. Has she just lost the love of her life? ... I guess you'll have to wait and see. I'll have the next chapter up soon - and believe it or not, it's the final chapter of the fic. Though there will be an epilogue. Thank you for reading - and as always, I'd love to hear from you and know what you thought or what you hope to see in the final chapter.**


	18. Chapter 18

_A/N – This was supposed to be the final chapter, but it ended up being far too long and I’ve had to split it up. So, enjoy the second last chapter of Sweet Little Lies! Thank you, as always, to my wonderful readers and especially to my reviewers who have stuck with me – you guys rock. Enjoy this chapter! The art is by the **very** talented Jubshepchubshep._

 

* * *

 

 

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Sirius froze, clutching the bed sheets she’d been hastily throwing off herself, one leg stretched towards the floor. Guiltily, she craned her head to find Liam standing behind her, an expression that was somewhere between pity and frustration etched onto his features. Her face flamed as she realised she'd been caught sneaking out of bed yet again.

“Please tell me you’re not trying to sneak out again?” he asked, closing the distance between them and nodding to climb back in. “Because I know for a fact that you’re not allowed out until Harry or Lexi give you the all clear.”

“They-“

He cleared his throat loudly. “Which they  _haven’t_.”

Deflated, Sara climbed back into her hospital bed, her momentary burst of energy fading as the gaping wound in her heart began to ache again. “Fine.”

Liam sighed. “Where were you planning on going?”

She met his stare evenly. “Where do you _think_?”

“Ryder-“

“I want to see him again.” Sirius looked away and sank onto the pillow as something dark and heavy pressed upon her, something that made breathing hard and made it harder still to move or think. “And I wanted to see if anyone has any news about Dorado. After what she did to … to Reyes.”

She bit off the end of her sentence, not wanting to think about the screams of pain Reyes had made. Or the way he’d contorted with agony. Or the way he’d stopped breathing as that witch’s poison had wormed its way through his veins.

"I'm sorry," Liam said simply as he sat down on the edge of the bed, his dark eyes riddled with guilt. "I know you want to go after her, but,” he sighed. “She’s long gone. And you’re in no state to do anything even if you could find her.

It hurt, but it the truth often did. Sirius looked away moodily, sullen and silent, hating that he was right.

“It sucks, I know, and I feel awful telling you this, especially since it’s my fault. If I hadn’t tricked you onto that shuttle then none of this would have happened.”

Sirius smiled as he trailed off, a heavy kind of exhaustion pressing down on her. Lack of sleep and the constant strain of the last few days had taken its toll. She hurt. She hurt in a way that words couldn't explain. The awful sense that things might have been different if she'd been a little faster in getting to Reyes, or if she'd talked him out of handing themselves in weighed heavily on her.

It felt as though she had a millstone hanging around her neck. Dragging her down. Drowning her. As though her heart were a drum, and each heart beat thudded hollowly inside of her chest, sounding out the beats to Reyes name. And she ached. God, she ached. She hadn't known it were possible for someone to feel so empty and heavy _and_ lonely all at the same time.

She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, the deep fiery ache from broken ribs sharp and immediate.

"You couldn't have known what would happen," she took Liam's hand and gave it a brief squeeze. “And I’m grateful you made me see sense about Reyes. I love him.”

He gave her a grateful smile and retracted his hand. Sirius let it go. Alone again. “Have you, I mean, is there any news?"

She sat up and looked across at the door behind which Reyes lay in intensive care, hooked up to various machines, but, thankfully, alive. She blinked away the tears that welled up and drew in a shuddering breath. The last two days had been a nightmare of pain, confusion, and doubt.

Two days of the Nexus doctors frantically working on the man she loved, of having the doctors race away as he crashed and went into cardiac arrest time and again, of hearing the nurses talk in hushed whispers about how they doubted he’d make it through the night, of seeing Doctor Carlyle's and Lexi's pinched faces every time they looked at her.

She bit her lip and fisted her hands into the sheets.

But he  _had_  made it.

"He'll be fine," she whispered, her voice rough and hoarse as she struggled to speak around the lump in her throat. "He's going to wake up soon."

_I know he will._

Liam was quiet for a moment and then he leaned down and hugged her, his arms warm and strong. "Yeah. Of course he will."

Sirius swallowed and blinked back the cursed tears. "Lexi said whatever Dorado gave him damaged his heart." She couldn't hide the tremor in her voice. "That acid almost killed him. It  _did_  kill him. If you guys hadn’t arrived when you did-"

"But we did. And he's going to be okay, yeah?" her friend's tone was gentle and reassuring.

"For now." She chewed the inside of her lip and tasted blood as she reopened a cut that hadn't quite healed. "I overheard the doctors and he's going to need a heart transplant eventually. But Harry isn't sure when they're going to have the facilities here to grow cloned body parts. It could be months or years. Until then … .” Sirius drew in a sharp breath. “They took him into surgery to do a bypass." She twisted her hands in her lap.

Liam hugged her again. "He's a fighter. He’ll pull through, you’ll see."

"I know. It’s just ... he'll have to make some pretty drastic lifestyle changes, you know?" The thought almost made her smile, though there was no humor on her face. "No more whiskey. No more stressful work environment. Fuck, Liam. What the hell is Reyes going to do on Kadara that doesn’t involve  _stress_? I don't know how he's going to deal with it when he wakes up."

_If he wakes up._

Her lip trembled, and she wound her hands tighter in the sheet, the material almost ripping from the pressure she put on it.

_He will wake up, damnit._

"And you?" Liam prompted, reaching out a hand and touching her fist, uncurling her fingers and taking her hand. "How are you doing?"

Sirius choked on a sob as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm fine."

He watched her for a second and then squeezed her hand, smiling sadly. "Liar."

"A bad habit I picked up from Reyes," she wiped furiously at the tears as Liam let her go. "I just want him to wake up.”

"He will." Liam stood up as a doctor approached. "You'll see. I've got to go. Cora has us running drills until you're able to take back over again."

He excused himself, and Sirius found herself alone with the ambient noise of a busy medical facility; the murmur of voices, the whisper and beep of machines, and the distant click of heels on the polished floor. Ordinary. Boring. Maddening.  She sighed and pushed herself up in bed. Medigel had healed the surface injuries on her body, but the concussion she'd been left with had been severe, and she'd had several fractured ribs.

Thus, her enforced bed rest.

Sirius scowled as the door to the critical ward opened and Harry came through, data pad in hand. Her expression lightened as he tossed her one of his rare smiles and turned in her direction. He looked exhausted, but for the first time since she'd woken up, he didn't look as though he were on the edge of a breakdown.

"He's awake," he said simply and came to a stop near her bed. "Properly awake, I mean. We've moved him from recovery to the ICU. He's not out of the woods yet, and he's groggy, but if you want to go and sit with him you can."

She flung the bedsheets aside and was out of bed almost before he’d finished speaking. "Can he talk?"

Harry nodded. "A little, but not well, he'll be more responsive in a few hours. Don't be shocked when you see him. He'll be in recovery for a while yet, but he'll know you're there and a friendly face will help reassure him.”

A tightening sensation of fear crept around her, terror of something she couldn't put a name to as she imagined the worst. Sirius let Harry help her to the critical ward, terror of what she would see on the other side clinging to her like an unwanted limpet. Reyes had always been so strong, so vital, and in control. The thought of him lying in a hospital bed, weak and helpless, sent a chill down her spine.

Harry paused just outside of the door and put a hand on her arm, his eyes softening as he read her expression. "It's not as bad as all that," he murmured, and a smiled with a wry twist of his lips. "It's not like the old days where heart surgery would leave you laid up for months. He's groggy from the pain meds, and we want to monitor him because we're not sure if the acid will have any further affects, but if all goes well over the next week or two we'll be fine to send him home. Just … reassure him." Harry chuckled. “I don’t think he’s too pleased to be back on the Nexus."

Sirius nodded, but her stomach churned all the same as he pushed open the door and ushered her through.

She'd never been in this part of the Nexus' hospital before. It didn't look much different to the main hospital ward, except it had been sectioned off into smaller cubicles with curtained walls, and the medicinal smell was much stronger.

Reyes lay in the third cubicle along, hooked up to numerous machines, and with so many tubes and wires attached to him that he looked like a science project gone wrong. His bruises had faded to an ugly yellow green, and he had oxygen tubes in his nose, but he still looked like Reyes, and as she approached him and sat down his eyes fluttered open and he looked at her,  _really_  looked at her, and there was intelligence and personality in those eyes.

He mumbled something, and Sirius grasped his hand, her eyes prickling as his fingers wrapped around hers; his grip weak but sure. He cleared his throat and tried to say something again, annoyance flashing through those expressive hazel eyes as he only managed a croaky rasp.

"Here," Harry offered a container with a straw in it. "Just a sip or two. You'll make yourself sick otherwise."

Reyes drank with obvious relief and he eyed the water longingly when the doctor set it aside.

"Sorry, buddy." Harry grinned. "Rules are rules. You can have another sip in a few minutes." Reyes rolled his eyes and Harry chuckled as he gave Sirius' shoulder a squeeze and stepped back, giving them some privacy. 

For a moment Reyes didn't say anything, he just looked at her, his eyes moving over her face, drinking her in as though staved for the sight. Then his hand tightened on hers and he tugged her into a gentle hug.

"Hey," he rasped quietly, his voice barely a whisper.

"Hey yourself."

Sirius smiled, the knot of tension unravelling at the sound of his voice. Though Reyes' arms lacked their usual strength, there was an intensity in the way he clutched her. She pulled back slowly, careful not to jostle him, then sank down on the edge of his bed as his hand found hers again. 

"Thought I was a goner," he admitted quietly.

_So did I,_  she thought, and the horrible moment when she couldn't find his pulse and her adrenaline-addled brain had been sure he'd died replayed yet again. She'd thought about that moment too many times since she'd been taken to the Nexus.  _The blood, the horror, the fear …_

Sirius gave herself a mental shake, forcing the memory away; despite Dorado's best efforts, Reyes had survived.

"You? Nah. I wasn't going to let you get away from me that easily." She traced a hand down his chest, following one edge of the gauze covering his surgery scar and grinned. "You look like shit though."

He chuckled, coughed, and then winced, one hand half-raising to the gauze on his chest. "Oh God, don't make me laugh. It hurts."

"Sorry," she grinned, not feeling sorry in the least. It felt good to see him smile, even if it had hurt him.

His hand squeezed hers and some of the sparkle left his eyes as he looked at her again, really looked at her; his gaze slipping down her body and then back up again. "You're okay?" he asked softly. "I mean, when they first took me in that room ... I heard you. I heard you scream." He shuddered. "Dorado said," he swallowed and gave himself a small shake. "Well, it doesn't matter what she said; I knew you’d get free. But … you're really okay?"

"I had a concussion and a few broken ribs is all." Sirius abruptly glowered. "You should see the other woman."

Reyes started to laugh and winced again. "No jokes, Siri," he pleaded.

She nodded. "Fine, fine. I'm okay though, I promise." She waited a beat, laying her hand on his chest and feeling the beat of his heart. "How'd you know I'd get free?"

He snorted. "I told you, I heard you scream. And then I heard you scream again and it was  _different_. Angry. I've only heard you sound like that once before and it was when you were angry at me," he grimaced. "I knew you were going all biotic badass, but by that stage I'd given Dorado the fake information for the mainframe. I thought she'd kill me and let you go. I didn't realise how twisted she was."

"You don't know the half of it." Sirius grit her teeth and recounted what Dorado had told her. About Cerberus, about her plan to usurp Reyes and take over the Collective, and that it had been her who had arranged for Sirius to be captured and tortured. "She meant for me to die," she finished. "I mean, he was supposed to torture me to death but you interrupted."

She shivered, thinking about what could have been.

Reyes looked shaken and his already waxen features turned paler. "I didn't have a clue. I mean, I knew one of my people was behind it, but I thought it was an innocent mistake. I didn't suspect Dorado, even after she betrayed me to Sloane."

"She's an accomplished liar," Sirius agreed. "I've asked Vetra look into her, but it's likely the Initiative's file on her is fake."

"And let me guess," he drawled, "she got away?"

"For now. Though Keema has the Collective on alert for her and she can’t hide forever."

He sighed and rubbed his eyes, looking drawn and exhausted. "I need time to process this. Half of me wants to struggle out of bed and get on the first transport back to Kadara, and the other half of me knows I'll die if I try." He swallowed, plucking at the bedsheet. "The doctor says my heart is damaged. They did what they could, but long term I'll need more surgery. He said a transplant is my best bet when they get their organ cloning facility up and running. Or I could opt for a mechanised replacement." Reyes shook his head. "I always thought my drinking would kill me. Or my job. Or an angry ex-lover." He grinned at her, self-mockery in his eyes. "I guess I should count myself lucky, really."

"No matter what happens, I'm going to be right here." Sirius squeezed his hand. "And I'll find Dorado and make her pay."

He snorted. "Not if I find her first."

They fell silent for a time, and then Reyes reached up and cupped her face. "I should have listened to you."

"You didn’t know what she was.”

He shook his head. "I almost got you killed. Siri, if you hadn't gotten free we both would have died." Something in his eyes darkened, and he drew in a ragged breath. "Y _ou_  should have left me there like you promised."

Sirius shook her head and curled against him gently, careful not to dislodge any of the tubes or wires. "I couldn't leave you behind! I love you. And after everything Dorado told me ..." She swallowed hard, and her voice cracked. "I'm sorry I ever left you. I should have trusted you. You're a good man, Reyes Vidal."

He was silent for a time, and she felt him shaking against her; knew he was crying.

When Reyes finally spoke, his voice was raw, and she heard everything he'd been too scared to tell her in his tone. All his false bravado had vanished, and the insecurities and doubts he'd hidden behind his confidence and flirting were exposed. "I love you too, but I don't deserve you."

He tightened his arms around her, though he trembled with the effort. His breath caught on a choked sob and he buried his face in her hair, his body relaxing as Sirius pressed a gentle kiss against his neck and nestled against him.

"Whether you deserve me or not, I'm not going anywhere."

 

* * *

 

Reyes opened his eyes and blinked, expecting to find bright Kadara sunlight streaming through a window, instead the dim glow of artificial twinkled faintly above him.

_Night cycle._  

He blinked. Even after several days of recovery on the Nexus he still felt unaccustomed to the night and day cycles. And despite the months he had spent in space prior to settling on Kadara, he was out of synch with the spacer lifestyle. He yearned to have his feet back on solid ground again.

He ached for _Kadara_. For the dusky night sky with the perfect nothingness of the black hole and the twinkling sky around it. For the iridescent sunsets that painted such brilliant colours across the horizon. For the storms that thundered across the desert and brought life to the wastes.

Reyes glanced down at Sirius who lay nestled in the crook of his arm, her head resting on his shoulder. A lingering sense of guilt hung over him; she'd followed him into the jaws of the beast and had been hurt. She'd been tortured because of his choice to hand himself in.

_Stupid boy._ His father's words echoed through his head.  _You'll never amount to anything if you keep making these stupid choices. You'll never be anyone._

Reyes sighed, if he was honest with himself, they were lucky they hadn't both been killed. If he'd known what the Outlaws were, what Dorado really was, he would have fought to his last breath to keep himself and Sirius out of their hands.

She murmured in his arms and turned slightly, burrowing against him and cuddling close. Pain moved through Reyes, but this time the pain didn't have anything to do with his wounds. Every moment he was with her he felt as though he were being torn in two. Sirius was his match, his other half, his soul mate; perfect for him in every way.

But he kept hurting her. 

He ran a gentle hand though her hair, so as not to wake her, as always marvelling at the softness of her black locks. Sirius  _was_  soft, but rather than finding that softness pitiable or a liability, he loved her for it. No matter how fierce or tough she was, there would always be something incredibly soft and gentle about her, something that would drive him to give every ounce of strength and every breath in his body to keep her safe and see her keep that softness.

He needed it.

He needed  _her_.

Kadara had made him hard, he knew that now; he could see how much of himself he'd sacrificed in his war with Sloane and their power struggle. He'd become arrogant, so certain of himself and his own strength that he hadn't been willing to back down from a stupid decision once he made up his mind. Even when Sirius pleaded with him and almost sacrificed herself, he'd still been certain that he was right.

That he would win.

But this time he  _hadn't_  won. 

Gingerly he touched the gauze on his chest. He'd escaped with his life, but things would never be the same. The doctor had made that clear. He couldn't lead the same high stress life he'd had before, which meant he would have to give up more of his role to Keema. No more whiskey either.

He wasn’t sure which was worse.

The thought of his future looming ahead of him, so different to what he'd planned, filled him with furious rage.  _It wasn't fair_. He'd worked hard to claw his way to the top of Kadara, and though he didn't mind sharing the top of that hill with Keema, he didn't want to have to slide back down again like an old dog ready to be taken out the back and shot.

He needed ...something.

He needed Sirius.

But did she need him? No matter what she said, he wasn’t a good man. You couldn’t kill the amount of people he had and run an organisation like the Collective without getting blood on your hands. But when he was with her he _felt_ like a better man.

Reyes tightened his grip on her without meaning to and she stirred in his arms. Soothingly, he ran a hand down her hair, settling her back into sleep. Sirius balanced him; she kept him human. The thought of facing the future if she was there beside him was a little bit easier. But more importantly than that, he _wanted_ to share his life with her.

He just needed to convince her that Kadara was the place she needed to call home too.

* * *

 

_A/N – Yay! Reyes survived, and he and Siri seem pretty snuggly! The final chapter of SLL will be out soon. In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you and know what you thought of this chapter - reviews and comments are always much loved. Thank you for reading!_


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _A/N - Well folks, here it is - the final chapter. It's taken a lot of writing, rewriting, and blood, sweat and tears to get here. Thank you to everyone who has read along with me. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed especially, because your comments cheered me on when I would have given up. I love this story, and though I'm ashamed of how slow the updates have been, I'm happy with how the story has ended up. This chapter is a lot longer than I would normally write, and there is going to be an epilogue still to come (thankfully it's written and I'm editing it now, lol)._

_Please enjoy this chapter. I hope you like the ending, but most of all - thank you. (Art is by Sathynae)_

* * *

 

“Home, sweet home!”

Reyes pushed open the door to his apartment and drank in the sights and smells of home as they rolled over him with comforting familiarity. The scent of leather and spices was chief among them; a smell that reminded of him of his family back in the Milky Way, and which was as far from the clinical smell of the medbay on the Nexus as it was possible to get.

He strolled into the kitchen, glancing around with interest and nothing that nothing had been moved while he was away. Someone _had_ brought in fresh food, which was a rare treat on Kadara. Reyes appreciated the gesture, and watched as Sirius closed his front door, guessing that she was responsible.

She looked stunning. Her long dark hair was fastened back in a ponytail, and she’d wrapped a long purple scarf around her slender neck. Sirius, despite being an Andromeda Initiative girl through and through, looked perfectly at home on Kadara.

She slotted _perfectly_ into his world.

“Fruit?” He asked. “Who do I have to thank for that?”

Her eyes twinkled. “Vetra. I figured coming home to an apartment full of tasteless angara food paste and ration packs probably wouldn’t fill you with joy, so I called in a few favours with her.”

“Remind me to thank Vetra.”

Sirius rolled her eyes. “Believe me, knowing her she saw this as an “ _opportunity”_ and she’ll call in her own favours soon enough.”

“Ah, I should have guessed.” Reyes half-grimaced, half-laughed.

Being a smuggler himself, he could well image the kind of favor which Vetra would call in with him. Not that he could blame her. In Andromeda, nothing came for free, and he was a useful contact to have.

His omni-tool pinged and he flicked it open, noting the plethora of messages he’d received already this morning. Most of them related to the every day running of Kadara Port and could be left to Keema to deal with, but a few were high level Collective messages that needed answers from the Charlatan. He opened one up and scanned the contents, ignoring Sirius as she raised her eyebrows at him meaningfully.

He _would_ cut back on his work, at least the smuggling and the more stressful aspects of being the Charlatan. He had no choice; it was that or risk giving himself a heart attack. But it was easier said than done. Things in Kadara wouldn’t change over night, and as wonderful as Keema was at organising and running the Port, she wasn’t privy to all his dealings in the Collective.

The simple fact was, that it was impossible for him to step back completely.

Sirius let out a polite cough as Reyes typed out a reply and closed it. “Sorry,” he started, “but-”

“But _nothing_.” She flashed him a look that reminded him of the kind that his mother used to give him when he was up to no good. “You need to take it easy. Doctor’s orders, remember?”

He raised his eyebrows innocently. “I am taking it easy, I promise!”

“Ha!” Sirius snorted and sidled closer. “That will be the day.”

Reyes caught her up and pulled her in for a kiss. “I promised, didn’t I? And after everything we’ve been through I’m not going to start lying to you now.”

To his surprise, a flash of guilt passed through her eyes. Reyes blinked, wondering what she had done to provoke that kind of response.

 _Did she still doubt him?_ Was that it?

The thought haunted him throughout the rest of the night. Harrying him, it dipped back into his mind time and again throughout dinner and later as they lay in bed.

He didn’t want Sirius to doubt him.

To doubt _them._

Especially not when he had spent the last few days thinking of the perfect way to ask her to make the relationship between them into something more serious. Into something more permanent. Not marriage. He wasn’t sure either of them were ready for marriage, but he wanted to share his home, and his life, with her.

Nerves trilled through him. Something that felt horribly like fear. Fear that Sirius would laugh at him or say no. That she would bring up their past troubles, the rocky episodes, and would reject him.

_But if she didn’t … ?_

He shifted closer and wrapped an arm around her waist. Hopefully it would mark the start of a whole new chapter of his life, one which he would share with Sirius. Because the one thing he was certain of after his brush with death was that he wanted to build a home with her.

Sleep claimed Reyes slowly, and as usual his dreams brought with them a wave of disturbing nightmares. He found himself an outsider, watching Sirius talk in a hushed voice to Keema; the two women whispering conspiratorially as they stared at him with sad eyes. Sirius looked as she had in the cave the day she had left him; heartbroken, and at Keema’s insistence she turned her back and walked away.

He tried to tell her to come back, that he loved her, but his voice wouldn’t work and he couldn’t make a sound. Panicked, Reyes chased after them, but the faster he ran, the further away they seemed to get. His heart pounded, fear pulling tight around him like a thick, cloying cloak until he woke sweaty and confused in the early hours of the morning.

 _Just dreams,_ he reminded himself as he lay back down in the darkness. _Crazy dreams, but just dreams._

The gentle stroke of feminine fingertips against his skin woke him the next morning. Slowly and seductively, they traced the length of his jaw, the strong line of his throat, and then ghosted along his collar bone. Reyes stayed still, pretending to sleep on, as, to his delight, the gentle rasp of nails against his skin went lower.

They trailed across his chest and circled his nipples, causing his body to react and his cock to twitch. He groaned as they dipped lower still, travelling across his abs and sending a wave goosebumps prickling across his skin.

He shuddered and his hips rose, thrusting towards the source of pleasure. His body burned; alive, needing, _begging_ for more of her touch as Sirius slyly ran those lovely nails along the length of the waistband of his briefs. His eyes fluttered open and he watched her explore his body, her full lower lip caught between her teeth, and her eyes dancing with biotics.

Tiny vibrations from those biotics danced across his skin each time she touched him, and the thrumming sensations somehow seemed to reach every part of his body that she _wasn’t_ touching. It felt wonderful, and he fisted his hands in the bed sheets, enjoying her gentle touches, but greedily wanting more. He wanted her to reach inside of his pants and take him in her hand, to grip him tightly and get him off while she told him all the filthy things she would do to him once he had healed.

Reyes groaned, his cock twitching and reacting to the fantasy.

Sirius chuckled and shushed him, kissing him gently as she trailed that mischievous hand across his straining length through the material of his boxers. He gasped and ground towards her, and she dragged her nails along his length a little harder, using friction to create incredible sensations.

“Shhh,” she soothed. “Just lie back and enjoy it.”

His eyes, which he couldn’t remember closing, opened, and he grinned. “Yes, nurse.”

“Ha!” Sirius leaned in nipped at his neck, her hand drifting back up to the waistband of his pants. “Well, if I’m your nurse, you _better_ lie back and let me check your vitals, Mister Vidal.”

“Anything you say, ma’am.”

She slipped her hand into his waistband and stroked cool fingers along his throbbing length. Reyes let out his breath in a stark hiss and groaned, thrusting into her hand as she gripped him tightly and pumped. She stroked her thumb across the head of his cock and dragged her nails lightly along the underside.

“Fuck! Siri!” His eyes fluttered and he caught her to him, their mouths meeting in a fiercely hungry kiss as she continued to work him.

She tasted like peppermint tea as their tongues swirled together, each kiss coming on the end of another. His hips rolled, his body tightening, swelling; release building within him like the tightening of a bow string. She stroked and squeezed in time with his movements, slowly speeding up, sensing what he needed and reading his hunger and desperation in his kiss and in the wordless sounds he made.

The room spun, _tumbling, twirling_ , as the pleasure reached a white hot crescendo and spilled over, his heart pounding in his chest as he grunted and, with a final thrust, came.

He spilled himself into her hand, his seed hot as it spurted out and slicked his cock as she pumped his length a final time. Reyes tightened his arm around Sirius, holding her to him as he kissed her hard and deep, with all the love and desire she stirred in him.

When the last tremors of his release passed he let his arm drop from around her, and fell back onto the bed, flushed and sated. Sirius leaned down and nuzzled his neck, then straightened and dropped a kiss onto his mouth, her lips reddened from the force of his earlier kiss. She looked radiant.

 _This_ , he decided, _was a much more pleasant way to wake up than from horrible nightmares._

“So, how are my vitals looking?” Reyes asked cheekily when he had his breath back.

Sirius raised an eyebrow and reached for tissues. “Surprisingly strong. I think you’ll be up and about in no time, Mister Vidal.”

He caught her close as she made to move off the bed, and snagged a kiss, enjoying the feel of her curves pressed against him. _Damn, she was sexy! Forget working too hard, it was Sirius who was likely to give him a heart attack!_

“And where are you off to, nurse?” he asked when he came up for air.

Sirius rolled off the bed and pulled on his shirt from the previous day. It fell to mid thigh, giving Reyes a delicious view of her pale thighs as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“Cora messaged me during the night,” she started, and his gut twisted as he guessed where this was going. “She needs me for a mission, and-”

“And you have to go.”

It wasn’t a question; just a statement of fact.

She was the Pathfinder, and _they_ needed her. Reyes stifled the sigh rising in his throat. He’d known their time together would end sooner or later, but had assumed, foolishly perhaps, that they would have a few more days alone.

She nodded, her eyes pleading. “I hate to leave you now, but it won’t be for long. Maybe a day?”

Reyes forced a smile, swallowing down his disappointment and shrugging. “I’ll survive a day without you. I might even get some work done.”

“Don’t you dare!” Her head shot up, eyes flashing.

His smile blossomed into a grin as he chuckled. “No promises. I guess you’ll have to hurry home to keep an eye on me.” He hesitated, the question he wanted to ask her swooping through his mind like a hungry gull, pecking at his thoughts and demanding to be acknowledged.

_Do you want to move in with me? Could this be your home too?_

His stomach churned with nerves, and he shrugged his shoulders to dispel the unfamiliar and unpleasant sensation.

“Sirius,” he started, and then stopped; he never called her Sirius; she would know something was up. “Siri, I need to ask you something-”

She leaned forward to give him a peck on the mouth, stemming his flow of words. “Ask me when I get back, okay? Cora said it wouldn’t take long.”

Reyes paused, the question he so desperately wanted to ask sticking in the back of his throat. “Sure,” he forced out, swallowing the other words back down. “It can wait.”

Sirius’ eyes were intense as she looked into his face. “I love you, you know,” she told him almost casually. “I wouldn’t be leaving if I didn’t have to.” Her hand found his and squeezed, and he saw that flash of guilt in her eyes again. “I didn’t sleep the best to be honest, I keep thinking about what Dorado did to us, and-”

“I know,” Reyes stopped her before she could follow that train of thought. He did _not_ want to think about Dorado. “You go and get ready. Don’t dwell on what could have been.”

She looked like she wanted to say more, even opened her mouth. But then with a small sigh Sirius made for the shower instead. Reyes watched her go, then helped himself to decaf coffee and looked through his morning messages.

 _Technically_ , he told himself, _checking his email wasn’t work._ Not if he was relaxing in his own home!

Sirius emerged in a cloud of steam a few minutes later, smelling of his shampoo and reading a message on her omni-tool with a frown on her face.

“I’m off,” she told him absently, her eyes still on the screen. “Take it easy while I’m gone.”

“I’ll be fine. You just stay safe out there, Pathfinder.”

She laughed, and her eyes flicked up to his. “Aren’t I always?”

Reyes flashed her a look that said what he thought of _that_ statement, and she gave him a parting wave on her way out, still laughing.

He settled down to respond to the most pressing emails, working through them slowly and forwarding on what he could to Keema to lighten his load. His morning passed with excruciating slowness, and he alternated between doing some of the light exercises that the doctor had given him, and catching up on Collective business. He’d never been good at doing light duties, so when a vidcall came through from the Tempest around lunchtime he jumped at the chance to talk to Sirius.

Only it _wasn’t_ Sirius.

"Vidal," Cora acknowledged in a clipped greeting, her eyes drifting behind him as though he were unimportant. The small gesture raised his hackles; he was the leader of Kadara Port, not just some petty smuggler. "I need to speak to Sirius, is she there?"

He frowned and shook his head. "No, she left for the Tempest hours ago. You should be able to contact her through SAM if she isn’t there yet."

"For the Tempest?" She narrowed her eyes. "Why would she be coming here?"

Reyes hesitated, a trickle of ice running down his spine. "She said you needed to see her, that there was a mission?"

There was a moment of silence as realisation hit them both: someone was lying.

"Dammit," Cora cursed emphatically. "I haven't been in contact with Sirius since you left the Nexus. I needed to see her because Liam and Drack told me that Sirius contacted them this morning, that she needed them for a private mission. I told them not to go, but they left anyway." Her lips thinned and Reyes read her displeasure and annoyance in that simple gesture. She looked suspiciously at him. "Where are they, Vidal. You _must_ know what's going on."

"I don't," he admitted, a sick feeling taking root inside of him; Sirius had lied. He turned away from Cora. "I need to make some calls, but I'll contact you if I hear anything. Until then see if you can track where she is through SAM."

"I'm already on it." She hesitated, and then inclined her head, something like pity in her eyes. "Thank you. I don't know what she's up to, but I imagine it's got something to do with Dorado."

He did too, but he didn't respond, only nodded and ended the call.

Memories of the previous night wriggled through his mind like pale fleshy grubs, unwelcome and nauseating. He'd heard Keema's voice and had been certain it had been just another dream brought on by his pain killers, but what if it hadn't been? God. Were his own people turning against him now and hiding things?

The guilt in Sirius’ eyes made a whole lot more sense now.

He tightened a hand into a fist, a simmering fury boiling in the pit of his stomach at the thought of such a betrayal. He was injured; not dying. It was one thing for him to take it easy, but quite another for everyone to go behind his back and sneak off if they had located Dorado.

With furious fingers he punched in Keema's number and waited, trying to control the seething anger. One look at his face when she finally answered was enough to alert his counterpart that something was wrong, and one look at _her_ face was enough to tell Reyes that she was guilty of something.

"Reyes," Keema greeted him silkily, always the politician. "I take it the cats out of the bag?"

"Where is she?" he thundered, glaring daggers at her perfectly composed face.

If Keema had put Sirius in any danger, he would end her.

She coughed politely. "I did warn the Pathfinder that you'd find out what she was up to, you know. But she was determined to keep you out of it, and I can't say I disagree with her. You're in no condition to go racing off into a firefight-"

" _Keema_ ," his voice was a dangerous growl, and he paused after each word. " _Where. Is. Sirius_?"

Keema sighed. "She took a shuttle, half a dozen men, and went after Dorado as soon as we confirmed her location." Her eyes hardened as she considered him. "She was careful, Vidal. And she didn't want you with her in your current condition."

Reyes glowered, resentment bubbling away like acid in his belly. "How could you keep this from me? Did you forget who I am? Or was this just the first move in replacing me?" Anger flared, sharp and irrational. He felt like a wounded animal baring its teeth for a fight.

"Oh, don't be stupid." Keema waved a dismissive hand at him. "I don't want your job anymore than you want mine. I told you already; I warned her that you'd find out, and if you must know, I wanted to tell you, but the Pathfinder knew how you'd react and she didn't want you involved. Look at you," her eyes slipped over his furious countenance, and she pursed her lips. "You look like you're ready to have a heart attack already."

"Because you’ve been sneaking around my back like I'm an invalid who can't be permitted to know the truth, and Sirius-," he bit off what he was going to say, concern for Sirius welling up like a crushing wave. His chest hurt, the scar tingled, and he took a deep calming breath. "I'm going after her," he said finally. "I won't be argued with either. Send a shuttle to pick me up from the nearest clear platform and pick out some men who can handle themselves. I might not be able to fight, but I'll be damned if I just sit around here and do nothing."

"Fine," she knew better than to argue with him, but she clicked her nails irritably in a gesture of Angara frustration. "But be smart about this. The Pathfinder has been through a lot, and she's hurting a hell of a lot more than she's letting on-"

"Had lots of heart to heart chats with her, have you?" Jealousy rose up, an emotion that was almost alien to Reyes, but he couldn't help it.

The sensation of being left out, of being excluded and left behind _hurt_.

Keema pursed her lips. "No, we haven't," she clarified. "But Sirius is frightened; a fool could see it. Discovering that Dorado was the one who hurt her, that she almost tore you two apart … ." She took a deep breath and flashed Reyes a meaningful look. "I don't think she'll stop until she gets rid of her. Maybe there was a time when she would have tried to bring her to justice, but Sirius isn't the same woman who first came to Kadara. Dorado scares her; she threatens her sense of safety."

 _Was that who Sirius was now?_ Reyes sucked in a breath. _Could she kill someone in cold blood?_

He thought back to when they'd been captured, to her terror when he’d tried to hand himself in, and the frightening biotic power she’d displayed. Had it been driven by fear and a need to destroy the thing scaring her? He’d never thought of Sirius as ruthless, hadn't considered how much Kadara might have changed _her_ when he’d thought about how much harder it had made _him_.

His chest tightened and his vision swam as he thought about another woman who had grown hard and cold when pushed too far by the harshness of Kadara: _Sloane_.

But Sloane and Sirius weren’t the same person.

Not even close.

Killing in self defense had never bothered Sirius, he knew that. But murder? She'd never killed someone in cold blood that he knew of, and he couldn't imagine her giving up that part of herself. Not even for Dorado. Not even for _him._

_And if he was wrong … ?_

"Send the shuttle, Keema," he rasped as he stood up abruptly, knocking back the chair. "I have to stop her."

She nodded, considering him. “Good luck, Vidal.”

* * *

 

Dorado's hideout was a single demountable building situated near one of Kadara's hot springs. Under normal circumstances Reyes could see why it would have been overlooked or missed completely by passersby. Today however, the building was ablaze and the billowing smoke spiralled up into the sky like a beacon; visible for miles around.

The pilot set his shuttle down beside the Initiative's, and Reyes followed his men out, his chest tightening in what was becoming a painfully familiar sensation as adrenaline kicked in. He shouldn’t be here. He knew that, the knowledge thundered inside of him like a drum. But he couldn’t stand by and let Sirius make a horrible mistake. Even as he stepped out into the chaos and smoke, the desire to find Sirius and stop her thrummed inside of him.

He didn’t have to go far or look hard to find Sirius or, he suspected, Dorado. The glow of her biotics burned brighter than the flames of the fire as she charged at the door of the building. Hurling herself against it over and over. Drack and Liam stood nearby, their weapons drawn, covering Sirius as she rammed the door.

“Vidal!” Liam saw him first and intercepted him. “I know you’re probably mad-”

“Mad is the least of what I’m feeling right now.” Reyes watched as Sirius charged at the door again, her biotics sparkling wildly around her. She hit the metal panel with the force of a charging rhino, and though it shrieked under the impact, the door held firm. “What in the hell is going on?”

The younger man’s eyes were slightly wild, but he seemed under control as he gestured around. “It all went to plan at first. We landed and took out the Outlaws, but there were scientists here with some kind mind control research going on and Dorado was with them. Ryder and SAM did something to the signal and … I don’t know what happened. The scientists and Dorado locked themselves in and I guess they started the fire.”

“Shit.” Reyes winced as he heard the impact of another of Sirius’ charges; she was going to hurt herself.

“Yeah.” Liam swallowed hard. “Ryder’s been trying to get in ever since. She won’t listen to any of us. She won’t stop. Even SAM can’t get her to listen.”

He nodded and clapped Liam on the shoulder. “You’ve done good to keep her safe. I’ll try to talk to her now.”

“Thanks,” the younger man moved back to stand with Drack, and Reyes turned back to the burning building.

"Sirius!" He roared her name so it would be heard over the sounds of flame and biotics. “Sirius!”

She paused mid-run to the door, her biotics boiling around her, the air alive with tension. Slowly, she turned to look at Reyes with an almost comical look on her face. If the situation had been different he would have laughed at the 'O' of surprise on her mouth, and the guilty look that flashed through her iridescent eyes. Instead he stalked up, heedless of the heat pulsing from the building.

"Reyes!" Sirius straightened up, her biotics fading. She looked between him and the burning building as though torn, and then took a step in his direction. "What are you doing here?"

Behind her one of the windows exploded from heat, flames erupting out of it as glass showered across the ground. Reyes flinched back, but Sirius didn't even baulk.

"What am I doing here?" He spread his hands. "I had a call from Cora, and she seemed surprised to hear that you'd been recalled for a mission, in fact she knew nothing about it. And when I called Keema, it turned out that you'd found Dorado and had gone after her. _Without me_."

She had the grace to look ashamed, and a flush spread over her cheeks. “I’m sorry about that, but you needed to avoid stress. Anyway, that doesn’t matter! Dorado is inside. I found her, and I have to-”

“It _does_ matter!” Reyes rapped out the words, ash and soot billowing around him as the flames danced up the side of the building. “You lied to me!”

Sirius narrowed her eyes, and the flush of embarrassment faded almost as quickly as it had bloomed. "So I lied! So what?" The building behind her groaned ominously, the walls buckling. "I knew if I told you then you'd want to come with me and-"

"And nothing!" Reyes scissored a hand through  the air, cutting her off. "I'm not a child, Sirius! I'm not dead or even dying! You should have told me."

"I almost lost you!" She stormed forward and grabbed his arms, and for the first time since waking up in the hospital he saw the fear in her eyes that Keema had mentioned. An almost wild kind of terror. “I can’t risk losing you! I can’t!”

“So you lied to me? After everything we’d been through?” He let his hurt show, for once not bothering to mask what he was feeling. “You thought you’d come out here and what? _Murder her_?”

She flinched. “You don’t know what she’s like. What the people she works for, these Cerberus people, are like. This hideout was a test site for some of their experiments, and the things they were doing were foul-”

“I don’t care!” Reyes had to yell to be heard above the sound of the fire engulfing the building behind him, the building Sirius had been so desperate to get into. The heat was intense, and ash burned his eyes. “I don’t care about them, and I don’t care about Dorado. I just care about you. I don’t want you thinking you have to kill someone to take back control of your life. I don’t want you murdering people just to feel safe.”

Sirius twisted away from him, her face a mask of rage and pain. “Why not?” she all but yelled, though he could barely hear her over the roar of flames. “I’m not weak, Reyes! I don’t need saving!”

“I don’t want to save you. I want to stop you from making a mistake and becoming like Sloane.” His voice cracked and he grabbed her arm, pulling her away as the heat grew too intense. “You weren’t here when we first arrived in Andromeda, but Sloane wasn’t always the woman you met on Kadara. She used to be different. She was a hero.”

“She was a monster-”

“No!” Reyes cut her off before she could say more. “Sloane was a lot of things, but when we first arrived she helped a lot of people. Only Tann kept using and abusing her, and after the rebellion and our exile, she changed. She started making hard decisions, started killing to maintain her sense of control. To feel _safe_ .” He seized Sirius by her shoulders again and stared hard into her blue eyes, aware of Liam and Drack watching them. “I _don’t_ want that for you, do you understand me?” His eyes flicked back to the burning building. “If Dorado is in there, then she’s done, Sirius. She’s _dead_. You don’t need to keep fighting.”

She wanted to argue with him, he could feel tension and fury radiating from her, as though all the rage and fear that had built up since she had discovered Dorado was responsible for her torture had simmered to a slow boil and was now bubbling over. Her eyes flicked from him to the burning building and it was like she saw it for the first time: the flames, the broken glass, the charred walls buckling as they sagged downwards.

She actually took a step away from the fire, taking it in.

“SAM?” she whispered. “Is she alive?”

“No, Ryder. Her life signs ceased … some time ago.”

Reyes suspected from SAM’s tone of voice that he’d been trying to communicate this to Sirius for a while now.

“Dead.” Sirius closed her eyes and the anger seemed to drain out of her. “ _Finally_.”

She sagged to the ground. Reyes didn’t try to catch her, he didn’t think he could in his current condition, but he knelt down and pulled Sirius into her arms, holding her close as they watched Dorado’s hiding place burn.

There was a fierce kind of satisfaction in Sirius’ eyes as she watched the fire, the flames reflecting in her orbs, and her hand caught his painfully tight as the building finally collapsed and hot embers showered down around them. Reyes, though he’d been racing to stop her from killing Dorado, couldn’t help but feel a grim kind of satisfaction that the evil bitch had met such a fiery end.

“What was it you wanted to ask me earlier?” Sirius asked eventually, her voice strangely alien against the crackling of the flames.

Reyes blinked, taken aback by the question, and momentarily thrown. His tongue, normally his weapon of choice, abandoned him and glued itself to the roof of his mouth, and words that should have come easily vanished into thin air. Instead he gaped at Sirius stupidly and fumbled around desperately, struggling to string a sentence together.

“Oh, I, uh,” flustered, he stalled. “It can wait until we’re home. I mean, back at my apartment.”

She narrowed her eyes and peered at him, a smear of soot streaking adorably down one cheek. “What? What is it? God, you look terrified. Just tell me or I’m going to think it’s something bad. Is it something bad?”

Reyes shook his head, _no_ , then swallowed hard and gathered his courage together. “We’ve been through a lot together, you and I, yes?”

“Yeah,” Sirius nodded bemusedly.

“And we’re in love?”

“Yes,” she pulled back a little bit and raised an eyebrow. “God, you’re not going to propose are you? You look like you’re going to be sick.”

Reyes almost laughed, and he had to swallow the hysterical burble back into his throat. “Propose? No. I mean, maybe one day, but not today. I just … I thought maybe you could make your home on Kadara. With me.” He cleared his throat, and finally, _finally_ , the words he wanted to say fell into place. “This isn’t how I wanted to ask you, or where I wanted to ask you, and it’s not romantic or special, but I love you, _Mi Reina_. I want my home to be your home, even if you’re a Bluebird who spends half her life away in space. I want to be the man you come home to.”

Sirius shook her head in surprise and leaned forward, catching his lips in a gentle kiss. She tasted like smoke and ash, but under that was the velvety taste of _her._ Reyes sank into that kiss, wrapped an arm around her waist and though it hurt the scar across his chest to do it, he pulled her into his lap. Her lips were soft and pliable against his, and he teased her mouth apart, seeking access with his tongue so he could delve deeper. When they eventually drew apart they were both breathless.

“Is that a yes?” he asked.

She gave him a considering smirk. “It’ll piss of Tann and the rest of the Initiative bigwigs.”

“Undoubtedly.”

“And you might not get to see me for weeks or months at a time.”

“Bluebird, there are some things in this world that are worth waiting for.” Reyes squeezed her gently. “A good whiskey is one of them, and the other is a good woman. Trust me, for you I’d be willing to wait a lifetime.” He laughed nervously. “Though I’d prefer if we didn’t wait a lifetime given the state of my heart.”

Her teasing look sobered and she pressed her palm against his chest. “You shouldn’t have come after me today.”

“I had to.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “You bewitched me from the minute I met you in Kralla’s, and I’ve been behaving irrationally around you ever since. But from here on out, no more lies, okay? From either of us.”

Sirius laughed nervously and kissed him again. “No more lies,” she agreed, tracing his jaw. “But I haven’t said yes to you yet, you know.”

“No, but you’re going to.”

She smiled, and Reyes felt his heart thump so hard he wondered momentarily if it might burst as she nodded at him. “Yeah,” Sirius agreed a second time, her eyes sparking warmly. “I’m going to say yes. Home is where your heart is afterall, and you have my heart.”

Reyes caught her to him with a whoop and crushed her mouth to his, the warmth and love in her kiss stunning him. It didn’t matter that Drack and Liam were watching them only metres away, or that his own men were probably watching and gossip would spread. He only cared that the woman he loved was in his arms, and that she was willing to stay with him.

Sirius grinned at him when she finally broke the kiss. “So, what do you say, Shena? Want to get out of here and celebrate?”

“Do you really have to ask?” Reyes chuckled huskily and took her hand as they got to their feet. “Fate had it in for me when it served you up all those months ago, but I have to hand it to the universe; she knew what she was doing.” He slipped his hands around Sirius’ waist and gave into the temptation to kiss her again.

“Now, let's go home.”

  
The End

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_A/N - That's all folks - Okay, I do have an epilogue set a while after this which I've finished writing and I'll post up in a week or so when I finish editing it. But that's it for the plot, there is just some feel good fluff and smut to come! ;) Thank you all so much for your support! And as always, reviews are much loved._


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